Shoes can make
everything all right
I
n 1998 a show debuted on HBO about four
female New Yorkers, three in their 30’s and
one in her 40’s who, despite their different
natures and ever-changing sex lives, remained
inseparable and confided in each other.
Starring Sarah Jessica Parker (as Carrie
Bradshaw), Kim Cattrall (as Samantha Jones),
Kristin Davis (as Charlotte York), and Cynthia
Nixon (as Miranda Hobbes), the quirky series
had multiple continuing storylines that tackled
relevant and modern social issues such as
sexuality, safe sex, promiscuity and femininity,
while exploring the difference between
friendships and romantic relationships.
The show was called Sex in the City and was
hugely popular spawning two feature films.
Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) was the
star of the show and if there was one thing she
taught us it was that a great pair of shoes could
make everything all right.
In fact there’s scientific proof buying new
shoes makes you feel better. Dopamine, a
neurotransmitter in the brain, releases good
feelings throughout the body. Drugs and other
highs emulate this sensation. That’s why many
people are hooked on such temporary releases to
chase that feeling. Studies indicate that shopping,
especially for shoes, releases large amounts of
dopamine into our brains, the cause for that feelgood feeling Carrie Bradshaw spoke of.
Carrie made many shoe designers famous but
one instantly became a household name after the
season three episode aired where Carrie, running
for a Staten Island Ferry, stopped and proclaimed
“I lost my Choo”. The “Choo” was from designer
Jimmy Choo. Jimmy first rose to fame when it
was discovered on Princess Diana’s passing that
80% of her shoes were designed by Jimmy Choo.
Back in 2011 Jimmy Choo shoes was celebrating
their fifteenth anniversary and announced that
they were releasing Icons, a capsule collection
of 15 shoe styles yanked from the company’s
archives. The shoes included the Feather, which
Carrie Bradshaw lost on the Staten Island Ferry
and the Macy (a classic neutral party sandal).
They were available only at Jimmy Choo shops,
and cost $850 to $3,785. Imagine the Dopamine
release you’d get from a purchase like that!
Jimmy Choo was born in Penang Malaysia into
a family of shoemakers. His family name is Chow
but was misspelled on his birth certificate as
Choo. His father taught him how to make shoes
and he made his first pair at age 11.
Choo graduated from Cordwainers Technical
College in Hackney (now part of the London
College of Fashion) in 1983. Choo worked part-
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July 15 - August 15 , 2015