On Elyse Walker and the Chunky Heel

by Christen Kinard | 01.19.17

You know how you know you’re in the right job doing what you were meant to be doing? You want to (and do) work long hours and then go and spend all of your free time studying your industry and looking for ways to grow in your field. I live and breathe fashion. I spend my days off catching up on missed issues of Women’s Wear Daily and the stack of glossies by my bed. I read course manuals on fashion forecasting just for fun. I study fabrics (as in, I have flash cards and everything), and always have fashion documentaries playing in the morning while I get ready…for inspiration. (I need new ones if you have any recommendations.) My heroes are not celebrities or athletes or even grand historical figures. My heroes are magazine editors and buyers and designers.

One of my heroes is Elyse Walker — founder and fashion director of Los Angeles-based site and store Forward. She has built a veritable empire, all from one small clothing boutique and was recently hailed by Forbes as “Hollywood’s Favorite Boutique Owner.” Today, she is an industry powerhouse and is looked to by both stores and brands around the world to pinpoint the most important trends of the season. She was recently featured on WhoWhatWear.com — another personal fashion news staple — giving her two cents on the trends we will find ourselves wearing now and well into the spring and summer. The trends included, among others, ruffles, metallics, slip dresses…and, of course, chunky heels.

Fast forward a couple of weeks later in a meeting with Elizabeth and the management team from The Shoe Hive and The Hive. Elizabeth mentioned how many chunky heels we have in the store right now. Instantly, I was reminded of Elyse Walker’s insistence that her store and website continue to sell through anything with a “square, mid heel.” Perhaps this was something worth looking into. I had Kristi send me a list of all the chunky heeled styles we currently have at The Shoe Hive and I now regret not providing her with more direction. She sent me a list of nearly fifty styles!! Clearly, Elyse and The Shoe Hive are both on the same page…and it seems our customers are, too! Gone are the days of the stiletto; today “grandma chic” reigns. It’s all about the short, stacked, chic, and comfortable heel.

I combed through Kristi’s list and picked out my top twenty styles for your viewing pleasure. Lucky for you, between the time it took us to write this post and publish it, many of these styles went on sale! Where it’s relevant, I’ve included the sale price as well as the original price in the details. Just know that we may be low on sizes now so give us a call with questions, 703.548.7105