New Shoes

I’m in trouble.

I was pretty OK for a while – no longer traveling as often all the way to Nordstrom in Providence, doing a good job avoiding sale racks at T.J.Maxx, pretending to shop online, placing multiple favorites in my shopping cart and closing the site before proceeding to check-out.

But I’m definitely in trouble now that Clad In opened a brand-new, fabulous shoe store a few weeks ago right in Stonington Borough. Not just any shoe store – but a shoe store featuring well-made, comfortable, classic and classy shoes and boots. Granted, this is no discount store – this is more – this a wonderful, local place to buy comfy, big-city fashion, made from quality materials.

Clad In shoes at 152 Water St. occupies a sunny, windowed corner spot at Water and Pearl streets, a door down from its Clad In clothing store and also diagonally across from the Yellow House Coffee & Tea Room. Displayed in wall-sized banks of backlit boxes, the shoes stand out even from outside of the shop’s pretty-paned windows.

You’ll find brands such as Cydwoq, made in California by hand; Naot from Israel; Petra Dieler from Germany; Fly from England; Cordani, designed in Italy and made in Spain; Antelope and Pikolinos from Spain and more. The store also carries a Taryn Rose line, named for the woman who fled Vietnam just before Saigon fell, became an orthopedic surgeon and then launched her own line of comfortable, handmade shoes after having worked 14-hour shifts in heels and dealt with so many people pained by bad footwear.

And while I might be in trouble, for once in my time-challenged life, my timing is spot on, because Thursday, Sept. 22, the day after this column first runs, marks the store’s grand opening. Lucky you. And, yes, you can never have too many black shoes.

The shoe shop also marks the fifth addition to the Clad In family. Its flagship, a modern, airy downtown Mystic store at 24 W. Main St., opened five years ago and features two stories of distinctive designer clothing, with large, lighted, second-floor display cases showing off eclectic jewelry to match the spectacular offerings. In Rhode Island, you’ll find Clad In Outlet at 32 Friendship St. in Westerly and a hip store in Providence at in Wayland Square at 497 Angell St.

The shops are a collaboration between Elizabeth Day Lawrence and State Lawrence – a combination of her design savvy and experience with running her own store in Greenwich and his global advertising work in branding and marketing.

The truly unparalleled aspect to this group of stores is that each offers unique collections. And those collections can be mixed and matched among each other to produce a versatile look that’s best for any particular size and shape. You’ll find drawstring scarves and wrap belts and pieces that drape and tie and hang in seemingly odd ways that end up looking so good.      

Jane Roderick, who manages Clad In at 158 Water St. just up from the shoe store, said the shop carries clothes that look good, feel good and are easy to care for. Many of the looks are asymmetrical and are tailored, “not in a traditional way, but tailored just the same,” and a lot has to do with the drape of the fabric.

Roderick said women often come in looking to buy something for an event, but she characterized it as criminal to buy a piece to only wear once. The idea is to look at the tops and skirts and jackets, along with belts and scarves, as individual pieces that you can dress up or dress down. Each of the stores has fashion stylists such as Roderick, who have a talent for putting pieces together to figure out what is most flattering for you.

“One of the things we try to have happen here,” she said, “is the ability to make it your own.”

Now, what more could a girl ask for.