A Chat With Shoe Club Founder Melissa O'Shea

Founder of the Hello Stiletto Shoe Club and certified shoe addict Melissa O’Shea stopped by the Open Runway headquarters to chat about shoes and fashion.  In case you didn’t know Hello Stiletto is a free social club for people who love shoes. To calm our curiosity we asked Melissa a couple of questions about the shoe club and how it has grown to such great heights over the years.

Here’s what she had to say:

How did the Hello Stiletto Shoe Club come about?

“Back in 2000 I was living in London and traveled a lot to places in France and Italy.  I began to notice that people just loved to get dressed up and wear clothing and shoes that were unique or really made a statement. I started to do the same, investing in unique pieces

just because they were fun and felt good.  When I came back to the US in 2004 I realized how different it is here in Boston, in that people are far more practical.  I guess the weather plays a big role in that!  But sometimes I would feel like people were actually embarrassed to get too dressed up here, to stand out or have fun with their clothing.

So I got this idea in July of 2004 to get a couple of friends together one night to wear their craziest pair of shoes. 8 of my girlfriends met at a restaurant in Boston wearing their most extravagant pair of shoes. Once the wait staff found out what we were doing they wanted to get involved and it turned into a contest to see who had on the best pair of shoes. We had so much fun we decided to keep doing these little get-togethers. After about the third or forth meeting we had strangers showing up because people kept telling their friends. The whole thing sort of took off from there.”

Wow, what an interesting story so how many members are in the shoe club today?

“It’s hard to say exactly. If you add up the totals of our 4 largest shoe clubs (located in Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas) we have about 8,000 active members.”

When did you realize that you were addicted to shoes?

“It was when I was 4 and taking classes at Miss Dolly’s Dance Studio. I remember Miss Dolly would always wear these silver high-heeled tap shoes with sparkles and sequins all over them. They looked hot and I remember being so jealous of her.”

How many pairs of shoes do you currently own?

“Right now I have about 200 to 220 pairs of shoes but I have to constantly clean out my closet every year to make room for new shoes.”

What are your favorite pairs?

“My Giuseppe Zanotti Fishbone sandals are a favorite at the moment.

Another one of my favorites are my Manolo Blahnik Leopard Print Heels.”

Tell us a little bit about the Shoe Club events.

“We have at least one shoe club event scheduled each month. We have a pink carpet that we roll out for all the ladies (and even some guys) to show off their most fabulous shoes. Each event we have judges vote on our coveted “Best-In-Shoe” award, which goes out to the woman or man with the best shoes on that night. It’s an excuse for people to get dressed up and have fun.”

What is your fashion philosophy?

“Well I really agree with a lot of what Simon Doonan says about fashion. People should use fashion to make themselves feel good not miserable. You need to be comfortable with yourself. That’s the kind of environment we have at the Shoe Club. It’s a place where women can feel comfortable expressing themselves through fashion.”

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We’d like to thank Melissa for stopping by Open Runway and letting us pick her brain a bit. If you have a pair of absolutely stunning heels that you are just dying to wear, be sure to check out the Hello Stiletto website to find out about upcoming events where you can show them off.