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Meghan Cleary, known as “America’s Shoe Expert,’’ says a person’s mood can change with the right pair of shoes. (Felicity Murphy 2010) |
G FORCE | MEGHAN CLEARY
A well-heeled authority
Meghan Cleary still remembers the embroidered baby-blue wedge espadrille sandals that sparked her obsession with footwear. She was 5. The shoes were at Kmart. “I felt like if I had those on my feet, I could really rock the playground.’’
Following a detour as a Wall Street marketing consultant — one guess what she blew her salary on — Cleary refashioned herself as “America’s Shoe Expert.’’ Now she rocks red carpets and green rooms, commenting on trends and educating anyone in earshot about the transformative power of shoes. She published “The Perfect Fit: What Your Shoes Say About You’’ in 2005.
“My philosophy is that shoes, more than anything else a woman puts on her body, reveal her state of mind,’’ Cleary says. “We use shoes to change our moods, too. You may be feeling low, but put on your sassy flats and life looks better.’’ Cleary will be at
Q. When people ask you what you do, what’s your answer?
A. I say that I’m a shoe expert. But now I have to say I’m the original shoe expert, because there are imitators.
Q. Isaac Mizrahi called you a shoe therapist.
A. That was so funny. I went on his show, and he took a bunch of shoes from the girls in the audience and lined them up on the counter and asked me to analyze the girls based on their shoes. The last pair were these dog-hair-covered clogs, and I described the owner as a really down-to-earth girl, but he had totally tricked me. They were his shoes.
Q. Each chapter in your book describes a different type of girl, like cowboy boot girl and sneaker girl. Which type are you?
A. I’m a ballet flat/stiletto girl. I’m practical and hard-working, but I also love the glitz and glamour.
Q. How many pairs of shoes do you own?
A. I probably have about 90 here in LA and the same or more in New York.
Q. Do you have a favorite?
A. I do, and everyone is so sick of them. They’re Azzedine Alaia, a silvery gray python platform stiletto. They’re so sexy, but the heel is a little chunky and I can do eight-hour days in them. Talk about feeling like a version of yourself. I’ll put them on for a conference call.
Q. So what’s hot for spring?
A. Some people call it a caged look, also known as lattice work. We’re also seeing a lot of stonework and beading, and a lot of fun, high-heeled clogs.
Q. Sometimes I’ll look at a really fashionable shoe and think, that is just so ugly. It’s like the emperor’s new clothes. Somebody powerful decides what the next thing is going to be and everyone falls in line. So, who’s the decider?
A. I wish I could answer that question. People at trend-watching companies get paid a lot to try to figure that out.
Interview was condensed and edited. 
© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.
