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Say what? You doing a double take as you read that headline? Although we can't speak from first-hand foot experience (yet), Anyi Lu is known for its luxury shoes (all handmade in Italy) that fuse fashion, function and performance technology for the ultimate in comfort. Needless to say, the San Francisco-based company is beyond pumped to introduce its first-ever 4-inch stiletto, which it's calling the "Holy Grail of footwear."
The sexy skyscrapers come in two styles: Angel, a classic pump available in black calf leather and espresso metallic python-print; and Camille, a Mary-Jane style pump in black patent leather. Together, they make up the Signature Collection.
"[The collection] has been 10 years in the making," says the namesake designer Anyi Lu. "I was struck by the intense dedication that women have to wearing 4-inch heels, some going to the lengths of taking painkillers before and after events just to make it through in their shoes. My mission is not to make comfortable shoes stylish, but to make stylish shoes comfortable, and we believe we do just that with the Signature Collection."
So the fashion part is obvious but where the heck does the comfort part come from? The heels are designed with space-age technology memory foam in the insole and a customized platform with a high-tech cushion outsole that's flexible and supportive—and designed for shock absorption.
You see, as a former chemical engineer and a onetime competitive ballroom dancer, Anyi Lu with her unique right-brain/left-brain was destined to create this cutting-edge technology in pretty packages. (Impressive, girl.)
OK, maybe we do believe.
The Signature Collection is available exclusively at Anyi Lu online through July; In August, it will also be available at Nordstrom stores.