Fashion / Style

The Incredibly Fab Life of a Shoe King: This Designer Throws Legendary Parties, Makes Heels that Women Swoon Over and Jets Around the World

BY // 10.13.17

While he has an office in Florence and two more perfectly decorated homes in Monaco and London, Aquazzurra designer Edgardo Osorio spends more than eight months of the year traveling – for work, pleasure, and to find inspiration for his next batch of must-have shoes. We caught up with him while he was in Dallas and learned why it’s one of his favorite cities to visit.

PaperCity: You always seem to be on a fabulous trip or at an amazing party. How often are you on the road?

Edgardo Osorio: I travel eight or nine months a year and it takes me to so many interesting places.

PC: And Dallas is always a must-stop on your travels.

EO: Yes – I’ve been coming at least once a year for the last four or five years. I love it! I feel so at home – the people are so kind and we have a lot of friends here. I also love art and there are amazing collections and museums to see. I just find it a very vibrant city – whether I’m coming for TWO x TWO or an event at Neiman’s or something regarding work – any excuse is a good excuse to be back!

PC: What are your favorite places to visit while in town?

EO: I love the Nasher – it’s amazing. Also The Warehouse is very special. I actually think the Round Up is a very fun place to go. And I love to go to that place in Fort Worth that looks like a cowboy town – I love that.

PC: Your shoes are like works of art – but so wearable. What is the starting point for you when creating a new design?

EO: For me, the shoe needs to work on the woman. I design something on paper and then, when the prototype is made, I fit it on the model’s foot, and I just kind of work around. Lots of times the design will change very much because it needs to become a part of your leg, a part of you. It needs to somehow make your legs look longer and better.

The shoe needs to come alive on the woman’s foot. It’s about you and the shoe – not only the shoe. When you see the shoe on its own, you should love it. But when you try it on, it should be wow. It should be even better.

PC: The Fall collection is filled with beautiful embellishments and we love the use of pearls.

EO: It was inspired by the Silk Road – the ancient roads of the Ottoman Empire. In all of the trade that went from Venice to Mongolia and China there was so much richness and embellishment. The velvet, the silk, the jewelry – I found it all so inspiring and beautiful. It was also nice to try and use pearls in a more modern way.

PC: Aquazzurra has had so many fantastic partnerships but the collaboration with de Gournay was pure perfection. How did that come about?

EO: It was born in a very organic way. I happen to have a room in my house that’s de Gournay and it was photographed for a magazine. They saw it and called me. I’m obsessed with interiors and, particularly, with wallpaper so the idea of working with them was a dream. I love exoticism and animals. My design studio is pink and I think it’s such a calming color – I just loved the idea of doing a pink jungle!

PC: Your parties are legendary – and very Instagram-worthy!

EO: I love parties and entertaining. But who doesn’t! We try to create experiences that are different – something people will remember and be surprised by. But it depends on the occasion.

For example, last season, we did a Spanish party in Paris to celebrate a collaboration with a Spanish friend of mine. We brought toreros and flamenco dancers and we all dressed up in Spanish outfits. We turned this room in Place Vendome into a Spanish patio. It was different and fun and a little bit goofy.

I like to have events and I also think fashion shouldn’t be taken so seriously – there always needs to be an element of humor.

PC: Why the pineapple?

EO: The brand itself started when I was in Capri – Aquazzurra means blue water. My favorite color is blue and I wanted a brand that reminded me of summer. And, pineapples – I just kept seeing them everywhere! I’ve always loved pineapples. They’re one of the things I collect. I have lamps, cufflinks, millions of different little things with gold pineapples. In some ancient cultures, gold pineapples bring wealth and good fortune. I loved the idea of having a lucky charm on the bottom of your shoe.

EO: What else do you collect?

Coral, shells…anything related to the water or summer! I love everything about the sea.

PC: What’s next for you?

EO: I haven’t been home in months. It’s been crazy! And once I get there, I’ll go straight to work.

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