EDITOR’S PICKS
Christian Siriano
D E S I G N E R C H AT
SOME LOVE STORIES start over a cup of coffee or a romantic dinner. Butter Italy designers Dennis and Lynne Comeau’s started, fittingly enough, over a line of shoes. Dennis was in his early 20s, temping at a shoe company and of the belief he could do “a way better job” at designing. “I’ve always had a great love for design and I become obsessed, which is sometimes my Achilles heel and sometimes a great asset,” he says. In this case, it was the latter. Comeau bought a one-way ticket to Italy, where he learned last making and design before opening Visionaire Design Studio in Florence. Meanwhile, Lynne’s fashion career started as a ready-to-wear buyer at Harvey Nichols in London. A few years after relocating to New York for a position at a designer shoe boutique, she accepted a job at Visionaire’s New York showroom, where she met Dennis. The duo soon moved in together in Florence, where they grew a family while designing shoes for Bernardo, Brighton and Golette along the way. When it came time for their kids to start high school, the Comeaus relocated to New York and, last year, acquired luxury shoe label Butter Italy and its bridal line, Something Bleu. Founded in 2007 by Nancy Geist (former designer for Cynthia Rowley and Lee Reich), Butter Italy offers feminine Italian-made shoes in a more affordable price tier for savvy consumers who seek quality but not overt labels. “She wants beautiful Italian shoes and wants to feel confident and comfortable in them all day,” Lynne says, adding, “She’s weary of here-today-gone-tomorrow trends.” In that vein, the Fall ’17 collection focuses on silhouettes that are versatile, classic and sophisticated. “We’re focusing on kitten heels and pointy-toe flats,” Dennis says, believing the label is ahead of the curve on trends. “The styles have longevity that will always sell,” he notes, adding, “The versatility of what you can wear with both is extensive.” —Ann Loynd What is Butter Italy’s design ethos? Dennis: We create shoes you will never want to get rid of; you can wear them for years. They’re a marriage of style and comfort. The design is balanced and ingratiating, eternally beautiful, fresh and feminine. It’s all about proportion and graceful lines. Lynne: Our shoes are designed for the person who cares how she looks and wants value. Most styles have a nice touch or nuance, but it’s never over-the-top. 38 footwearplusmagazine.com • june 2017
Kenneth Cole
Sey Collection
T H E L AT E S T B U Z Z Bees swarm across a range of silhouettes.
Where do you look for inspiration? Dennis: Although it would be romantic to say, ‘I was inspired by the beautiful colors and people on my recent backpacking trips to Nepal,’ that’d be a crock. Shopping and looking at what people are wearing while traveling helps. But I just get to work, really. It was Thomas Edison who said, ‘Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.’ Lynne: Tequila. Why is the made-in-Italy aspect key? Lynne: Italy is number one, and there is no number two. Dennis: I’m only interested in making beautiful, luxurious-quality shoes. We work in small factories with passionate artisans who have generations of experience making luxury shoes. You can only find that in Italy. What do you find most rewarding? Lynne: Walking into the factory and seeing the whole production line being taken up by
one hot shoe. Dennis: Getting to the factory to see new prototypes and finding out everything came out perfectly so we can take the afternoon off to have a big lunch with truffle ravioli and a bottle of Tignanello. But that’s never quite happened. Who is your fashion icon? Dennis: Bettie Page and Bryan Ferry. Lynne: Vivienne Westwood. Being a Londoner, I totally relate to her—eccentric and very British. What celebrities would you like to see wear your shoes? Dennis: Not any of the Kardashians. Lynne: Cheers to that! What would you be doing if you weren’t designing shoes? Dennis: Formula One driver. Lynne: Haute couture seamstress. What’s your motto? Dennis: If anything is worth doing, it’s worth overdoing. Lynne: WWWWD: What would Wonder Woman do?
E D I TO R ’ S P I C K S P H OTO G R A P H Y BY T R E V E T T M CC A N D L I S S
DENNIS & LYNNE COMEAU