My first introduction to Shoes of Prey was an exciting one. Having a size 5 shoe size has always been a challenge for me. I'm lucky if I find a size 5 in the style I'm looking for, as many shoes I love start at a size 6. Even when I find my size, half the time the shoes still run too big.
At Shoes of Prey, you can design your own shoe, at the Design Studio at select Nordstrom locations or online through the Shoes of Prey 3D Designer where you choose the shape, color and height of your shoes for your very own custom-made pair.
During the Shoes of Prey press preview, I met with co-founder Jodie Fox and previewed some of the Shoes of Prey swatches and custom-made shoes. I was excited to see a dozen different types of shoe styles to choose from, including flats, heeled sandals, ankle boots, wedges and flat and heeled oxfords. I looked over all the different swatches, including shiny, faded and soft leather, patent leather, suede, lace, genuine fishskin, genuine snakeskin, sparkle, animal prints and cotton.
Then it came time for the fun part - actually designing my own bespoke Shoes of Prey shoes. I thought after looking at all the different styles and swatches it would be overwhelming designing a pair, but the 3D Designer was so easy to use. First I chose my shape/style: a heeled oxford. Then I chose my heel height: 3.4", color and size (it was recommended that I size down to a 34.5). There are over 170 fabrics to choose from for shade/texture. I chose a colorblock mix for my heeled oxfords. I had to make sure I picked the right color mix for all aspects of my shoe - heel, toe cap, back cap, front, back and top panel, tongue and shoe lace. For my colorblock mix, I picked the closest to Mint Green, which was Light Blue in a vegan leather, as well as Light Pink in soft leather and Silver in shiny soft leather.
I decided to change Silver to Gold as soon as I got home from the preview. Please note that if you decide to make changes, you must call Shoes of Prey or visit a Nordstrom location that has Shoes of Prey in-store. I found out when I received my shoes 4 weeks later that my changes were not made, and my original design had been created. Also, the 34.5 fit perfectly, but didn't allow any room for any inserts, so a size 35 would have been better. I originally had a Mint Green skirt that I wanted to match the shoes with, and the color did not go with the skirt - it was more on the Blue side than Mint Green.
What I love about Shoes of Prey is that they have a 365-day return policy and you have the option to remake your shoe! So I returned my shoes to Shoes of Prey at Nordstrom at Garden State Plaza and happily made my changes. I wanted to remake my shoe the week that I received them, since I was having surgery mid-June and wanted to get them remade before my surgery. That way by the time I recovered a few weeks later my new shoes would have already arrived. This time I brought my Mint Green skirt to match it to the swatch. I stopped by Shoes of Prey on the right day because they had just released their pastel swatches! For my colorblock mix, Lucite in soft leather was the perfect match to my skirt, and I also picked the Bunny Pink in soft leather and Gold in shiny soft leather. I also upsized to size 35. If you are ever unsure about which size would fit best, I recommend going to Shoes of Prey at Nordstrom and trying on your size in the style shoe that you want. Thank you to my personal stylist Chabeli and her colleague at Shoes of Prey at Nordstrom - Garden State Plaza for all their help!
This time around, when I received my remade shoes 4 weeks later, I was completely happy! I was also so focused on my surgery recovery, that when my shoes arrived, it was such a nice surprise! I am glad I got to go through the whole remake process. For me, I prefer to go to Shoes of Prey at Nordstrom to design my shoes. I look forward to designing my next pair! I also can't wait to share my style post this month! Stay tuned!
With my original Shoes of Prey heeled oxford design
New pastel swatches at Shoes of Prey!
Remake of my heeled oxford
My remade heeled oxfords, which came with a picture of my shoe creation, shoe bag, and shoe inserts!
- Kim Weling
