Fashion week wrapped up in New York yesterday, and with it, the legions of designers, stylists, makeup artists and fashion-loving fans have undoubtedly packed up and headed back to wherever they came from. And judging from the voices I heard last Friday afternoon inside the tents at Bryant Park, many of those people came from Italy.


I was there to check out the exhibit, “I Love Italian Shoes,” [2]see some great styles on the tons of people in and outside the tents, hopefully grab a glass of wine and um, swipe a few of the free magazines they were offering. (I didn’t even know that Fortune had a style issue. All in the name of research, you know). The exhibit itself was in a booth towards the back of the tent filled with glass cases containing every variety of "Made in Italy" shoes you could want, all from the spring/summer 2009 collections. Think great pieces by Claudia Ciuti [3], Gardenia and Alessandro Ronci [4], as well as  designs by Moreschi [5], Lorenzo Banfi [6]and Jo Ghost.


 The exhibit was organized by The Italian Trade Commission-ICE, along with the Italian Footwear Manufactures Association (ANCI), and was on display for the entire week. The Italian Institute for Foreign Trade, or ICE, was set up to promote trade and business between Italian companies and the rest of the world. According to their website [7], the exhibit featured, “…expressions of: creativity, innovation, details and craftsmanship coupled with quality leathers and materials with unique and new finishes.”


I myself have always loved buying shoes in Italy. Well, shoes and bras, but we’ll save that for another entry, yes? I find that the shoes tend to last longer and fit better, and, I’ll be totally honest here, whether the pair I’m wearing comes from the mercato (my growing collection of InBlu [8] flip flops are a testament to that) or from Diesel, the quality is always top-notch. And with the amazing brands and available styles on view at the exhibit, there’s no doubt the Italians are continuing to exceed expectations.


If you’re interested in seeing more of what happened during fashion week go to, www.mbfashionweek.com or if you want to learn more about the ICE, visit www.italtrade.com. 


On this end, I’ll be tracking down many of these shoes here in the states and will make sure to grab a pair of Taccetti [9] (so colorful!) next time I head overseas. Which, crossing my fingers, will hopefully be soon.