Also this issue:

A New Sensation
This just in: Stylish shoes don’t (always) have to hurt.
-Helen i-lin Hwang

Good Moves
Get in shape for spring and summer shoes.
-Debra Auspitz

Plat Fall
One writer’s tale of high-heeled woe.
-Trish Boppert

Foot for Thought
-Meredith Broussard

Henri David
-D.A

Too Pretty, Baby?
Kids’ shoes are taking a sexy turn, and the results can be disturbing.
-Trish Boppert

Martha Chamberlain
-Lori Hill

Mason Warner
-Debra Auspitz

April 17-23, 2003

cover story

The Style Issue

Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Philly Sole

People love shoes. In fact, it’s a little scary how much people love shoes. There are different levels of shoe obsession, from the fashion-conscious person who carefully selects the perfect heel to match an outfit, to folks like South Philly’s Mason Warner, who lovingly catalogs his 300-plus pairs of Nikes, kept untouched in their boxes. There are people like Henri David, who wears or has worn all of his hundreds of shoes, including the pair featured here and on our cover (modeled on this page by David himself). He first wore this pair with their matching vintage pantyhose a few years ago when he introduced Phyllis Diller at Philly PrideFest -- as David puts it, "What else do you wear for Phyllis Diller?"

Inside this issue we take a look at Philly’s vibrant shoe culture, from the shoe museum (yeah, we have one) to the locals whose livelihoods depend on their choice of footwear, like dancer Martha Chamberlain and Sixer Aaron McKie. We’ve diligently sought out the people and places that live and breathe for shoes, plus the latest trends in footwear and footcare -- not to mention a foot fetishist’s tips for proper foot maintenance. We’ll tell you where to get a pedicure, why some trendy kids’ shoes are causing an uproar, what to do if stylish shoes make your feet ache and even what exercises to do for stronger ankles and arches. Plus, we enlisted some fashion-forward folks around town to put together spring outfits that work well from head to toe.

Your feet work hard for you, carrying you around all day -- isn’t it time you pay them a little attention? So sit back, relax and get ready to soothe your sole.

--Debra Auspitz

(debra@citypaper.net)