October 14, 2011

Jean-Michel Cazabat Opens in the West Village

By Sarah Kleinhenz, Guest Blogger

Wednesday night I had the fabulous opportunity to attend the grand opening of Jean-Michel Cazabat’s West Village store. This is the first standalone store for the designer, and let me tell you, it is FAB-U-LOUS! Before venturing out on his own, Cazabat worked with Charles Jourdan as buyer and their creative director for more than 10 years. He then moved to Stephane Kelian where he served as president and overseer of operations and product developer for the American market. In 1999, he launched his woman’s line, followed by the men’s line a few years later. With all this experience, how can he not create fabulous designs? I couldn’t contain my excitement once I stepped my stilettos inside his new space.

Inside the store are untouched brick walls with white shelves, benches and cubes displaying his latest and swoon-worthy boots, flats and stilettos. There is a faux fireplace in the middle of the room and atop the mantle are shoe books with a stiletto as a bookend! How creative is that? Plush seating around the room allows you to sit comfortably while trying on his amazing designs. He also has quite a collection of sexy styles for the men in our lives. With a DJ playing upbeat tunes, guests sipped on champagne cocktails by Nicholas Feuillatte and appetizers from Indochine. Both were exceptionally yummy!

The store was packed with loyal customers and friends, both admiring his latest styles. But what really caught my attention was the price point! Girlies! They’re totally affordable, which is great news for fabulous budget-conscious fashionistas like us. I love seeing new designers who are targeting the girl who likes to look good, wants quality and also wants to watch her budget. Most of his designs are ones that can transition from day to night, which in this day and time is a great selling point. If you needed any justification, there it is!

Some of my favorite styles were the suede oxford pump, which has a chunky heel and comes in several color options. These would be great for work, and can transition to night! The black patent with red trim is practical, yet also has a certain sexiness about it. It definitely was a crowd favorite. If you need some winter boots, you HAVE to check out his fur-lined knee-high boots! They’re great updates to any winter wardrobe. I could go on and on about each design, but I’ll let the photos speak for themselves! With great prices, and even more spectacular shoes, JMC is one designer that every girl should add to her vocabulary. Besides his new West Village store, you can purchase these gorgeous shoes at Neiman Marcus, Shopbop and Barneys, to name a few. Be sure to check out his Web site as well, for all his latest creations.

P.S. All kinds of notables were around for the event – even Bergdorf Goodman’s Linda Fargo and designer Nicole Miller (who poses in the last photo below with JMC himself!).