Q & A w/ Miss Meghan, Shoe Guru

by Angela
Friday, May 2, 2008

She’s written a book, “The Perfect Fit: What Your Shoes Say About You”. She hosts her own “Shoe Therapy” show on the Home Shopping Network. She’s shared her shoe expertise on the Today Show, Tyra, Extra! and the CBS Early Show. She covers all angles of kicks for the JCReport and the New York Daily News. I caught up with Michigan’s own Meghan Cleary, also known as Miss Meghan, “America’s Shoe Expert” to get the scoop on her much sought after career, those things called Crocs and what makes the perfect pair…

Is being a “shoe expert” something you even dreamed of as a career choice in high school or college? No, never! Well, I knew that it’d be writing to some capacity and I’d always loved fashion and I’ve always loved marketing. I’m a communicator- connector person. And I love, love, love shoes. I learn something new everyday about shoe styles.

So you pretty much turned three things you love into a career? Yes, exactly.

Now sneakers have definitely grown a ton in popularity, do you dabble in sneakers? Sneakers are a whole nother thing! Yeah, there’s this guy who knows all about sneakers, Bobbito Garcia. He’s the male version of me, so I just leave that all up to him.

I read that your favorite shoes are your Azzedine Alaia python pumps because they make you feel confident, strong and sexy. What components, regardless of men’s or women’s, should a pair of shoes possess to become the perfect shoe? Is it like finding the perfect mate? I’m really about shoes and mood. The thing about shoes you have to remember is that more than any other thing you put on your body, shoes affect you most on a physiological level. It affects how you work and feel. It affects you on a fashion level and a beauty level as well. A boyfriend, well that’s more external. I’m a firm believer in wearing what works for you, confidence-wise, style-wise. You might feel great in a metallic clog with perforations while Mary next door likes strappy stilettos.

Speaking of clogs with perforations, what’s your take on Crocs? The one thing I will say is this, there’s a time and a place for every shoe and Crocs are amazing for gardening and kids.

They’ve crept up within the past two years and they’re still everywhere now! It’s like they invaded households or something. I see whole families of Crocs walking down the street. Yeah, and they even have those little…

...Gem things you can put on them! Right. Anyway, what shoes are you wearing right now? I’m actually wearing cowboy boots they (Dan Post) sent me. They’re distressed brown boots that are scrunchy and really soft. But I came to work in these sleek black SLS boots.

So you live In New York. What area do you work in? West Village. I live here, too.

What good stores can you walk to from there? There’s a great shop called Verve- they’re amazing!

How many pair of shoes do you have? About 120.

What are your favorite shoes lines/shoes designers right now? I love, love, love Miu Miu, Tashkent, Giuseppe Zanotti, Jerome Rousseau, (Assedine) Alaia…

So your family is still here in Michigan. Where do you shoe shop when you’re in town? I go to the Village Shoe Inn in Farmington. It’s crazy in there! I love it. I go there with my mom and I can just get my shoe on! They have so much to choose from! As a shoe expert, I like to see every different color available and shape and everything, the visual stimulus. But I get all my designer stuff in New York.

How about vintage or resale shoes, do you shop for those? I love vintage! I’ll buy shoes just because of the shape.

So, you’ll buy shoes even if they don’t fit you? You’ll buy like a size thirteen or something! Wait, you’re not a size thirteen are you? I’m a size nine and, yes, I’ll buy it even if it doesn’t fit. I have like five pairs that don’t fit.

Now that’s dedication. Spoken like a true shoe lover. I love it.

You can catch Miss Meghan Thursday, May 8th at the Melting Pot in Troy for Fashion Group International’s Fall Trend Event. For more on Cleary, check out her website.