“You are so important; you have the job to balance style and all kinds of elements. Europe loves bloggers, too!” said Paola Venturi as she expressed her absolute adoration for bloggers. Visiting Bloomingdale’s across the country, Via Spiga’s Creative Director established warmth through her wide smile and calm grab of the arm while promoting Via Spiga’s Fall 2010 collection.

Venturi recalls living in Murray Hill in the 80’s and seeing the fantastic mix of fashion New York is famed for. When asked about one thing she could change in regards to American style, she held back quirky laughter and laid a gentle motherly hand on this blogger’s shoulder. Could it be the lack of coordination that shocks her? Or maybe it’s the mass–consumption mantra that reinforces a lack of individuality? Whatever her thoughts were, Venturi was too kind to say anything negative. She did, however, allude to the fashion sense of New York nemesis, Los Angeles. But that was it.

A fanatic interrupted the conversation to rave about the two pairs of “Ethos” Via Spiga Booties she just bought. The woman’s thick German accent interacted well with Venturi’s rolling Italian “r”. They both raved about the variety of Via Spiga Booties, including the “Ethos” Via Spiga Booties just purchased – one in strong black leather and the other in Grey suede. The sleek minimalist shape of this particular shoe reflects Venturi’s past design work at Calvin Klein.

Via Spiga Fall 2010 found its inspiration at the Parisian show, Le Crazy Horse Saloon or Le Crazy Horse de Paris. A risqué performance put on by nude dancers, Venturi stresses the “crazy” imagination behind the overall show, and emphasizes the “dazzling, amazing” shoes. During her fervent description, she noticed a purple wigged attendee and pointed out her resemblance to Anna Piaggi, the Italian writer and fashion icon.

Continuing her Crazy Horse reference, she referred to the Via Spiga “Virgil” shoe; a quilted leather ballet flat. Inspired by the curtains of Crazy Horse show, she designed a pair of boots constructed of the same material. But they were never manufactured because of the impractical cost. By this we see the duality of Venturi’s character; playing both the true designer and business woman. She encourages the imaginative, yet restricts the unrealistic.