The First Lady of footwear, Jane Weitzman, will be in St. Louis on Nov. 19 to speak at a fundraising event for the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. The woman behind Stuart Weitzman, the high-end shoe brand founded by her husband, will share inspiring stories about her volunteer work. She’s the former executive vice president of the iconic shoe company, and spearheaded its philanthropy efforts by raising funds to support breast and ovarian cancer research. She’s also the author of Art & Sole, which showcases about 150 of more than 1,000 fantasy shoes commissioned by artists for window displays in the first Stuart Weitzman boutique, on Madison Avenue.
T&S | Customers loved those creative window displays. Why do you think they were so drawn to over-the-top artistic shoes?
JW | It’s a risk to put something in your window that’s not for sale in the store, but people loved the art shoes. They drew customers in. We became like an art gallery on Madison Avenue, and what we did was different from what other stores were doing. People began to look forward to the change in the windows every month. I enjoyed doing it and meeting the artists. The shoe on the cover of the book is from St. Louis artist Sharon Von Senden, whose beautiful work I first saw on the walls and staircase of City Museum.
T&S | You’ve dedicated much of your life to supporting charities, particularly those involved with ovarian and breast cancer research. Why are those causes so important to you?
JW | My mother died from breast cancer. I became involved with ovarian cancer when a retail customer asked us to help her raise money. She didn’t make it, even with the best medical care. When I learned that most women don’t know the symptoms of ovarian cancer, I thought it was important to get involved and help educate them. I hope every woman reading this article will Google those symptoms.
T&S | What is the state of philanthropy today? How did you get involved?
JW | Americans are the most generous people in the world. Look at how we respond and help others when there is a disaster. I grew up with philanthropic parents. They weren’t wealthy, but they helped everyone they could.
T&S | How do you explain women’s obsession with shoes?
JW | Shoes can change an entire outfit. If a woman wears a simple black dress, she can change the way it looks for any occasion by changing her shoes. Shoes also can change how you feel, how you look, and how others perceive you.
T&S | What are the must-have styles for this fall and winter?
JW | There are so many beautiful boots, some of them are even jeweled, and they come in a range of heels from flats to very, very high.
T&S | What’s the shoe equivalent of the ‘little black dress’?
JW | Black pumps in the highest heel a woman is comfortable wearing.
T&S | What’s the best lesson you learned during your time as executive vice president of Stuart Weitzman?
JW | If you are nice to people and have a great product, your business will succeed. I grew up in Atlanta, a city where retail customers were treated very well. When we opened our first store, I wanted to create a Southern store on Madison Avenue.
T&S | What’s the best and worst parts of being married to a shoe designer?
JW | Stuart is a wonderful and generous person. I made a good choice many years ago. The wonderful part is that I have all the shoes I want. The worst part is because he cares so much about his product, he’s away about half the time.
T&S | What do women say to you most often?
JW | The comment I get the most is, ‘Please tell your husband to never stop making narrow widths.’ I wear a C-width, but there must be more people with narrow feet than wide ones!
[Tickets for Soul to Sole, Nov. 19 at The Ritz-Carlton, start at $54. For more information, visit JFedSTL.org or call 314.442.3751.]
