Guess what’s common between Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and Alia Bhatt? They all wear Steve Madden! And now the Calcutta girl can too — try on the shoes before picking and choosing, don’t just browse them online. The New York-based footwear label upped its shutters — the first store in the city — at Quest mall on Friday. Bright lights, red sofas, plenty of glitter and so many shoes... t2 takes a walk around the 800sq ft store... 

Girls are made of sugar, spice, everything nice... and a sprinkling of glitter. One of the newest collections at the store called ‘Glitz and Glamour’ uses glitter on its shoes and bags. Guaranteed: A #Sparkly moment when the bling catches the light this festive season. 

Window shopping and not enough cash in your wallet? Other than the premium range of shoes called Steve Madden, there’s the affordable Madden Girl range. We particularly heart the Madden Girl ballerina pumps 
(Rs 2,999). Here’s to getting ourselves a collection!

Guys, if your girl intends to spend half a day in the store, don’t despair. There’s a dedicated men’s section with shoes for both work and play. Indulge yourself!

There’s a range of bags produced in collaboration with American designer Betsey Johnson. Retro and fun, the bags feature polka dots, fringes, OTT prints and pop colours. Some even come with free metallic tattoos! The collection is priced upwards of Rs 3,999.

t2’s Betsey Johnson crush

A leopard-print bucket bag with fringes. This Betsey Johnson mini bag (Rs 6,999) ticks so many boxes on the on-trend list. 

SM SHOES T2 LOVED

?FOR HER

Perfect with a sari or lehnga for that winter wedding.  Pick up Jilly for Rs 8,999

Skip the socks when you slip on these blingy Pacific double-bottom espadrilles. Rs 6,999

Be the lady in red in the iconic Deja Vu shoes. Rs 9,999

FOR HIM

Formal Jetson slip-ons for the serious man. Rs 7,999

Red Highbal fringed loafers for the man who doesn’t mind experimenting. Rs 7,999

Steve Madden who?

Steve Madden founded the label in 1990 with a mere $1,100 and went around selling shoes out of the trunk of his car. 

In the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, Dustin Hoffman’s son Jake played a young Steve Madden, the stocks of whose shoe company Jordan Belfort (played by Leo DiCaprio) helped make public. Madden found the portrayal “too nerdy”.

The 57-year-old designer is rarely seen without a baseball cap. 

Madden gets his inspiration from “pounding the pavements all over the world”.

The Calcutta store is the 15th in India. 

Text: Riddhima Khanna
Pictures: Anindya Shankar Ray