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Out of the closet
By Kate Hayes
PORTLAND - Liz Wyman loves to kick up her heels. And her boots, flats and brown suede espadrille wedges. Wyman, a Falmouth resident and assistant Maine attorney general, is founder of the Maine chapter of Hello Stiletto, what she describes as a "fun, low-pressure way for women to connect" - over shoes. Wyman started the chapter after learning about the shoe club founded by Boston resident Melissa O'Shea two years ago. She thought there might be other women in Maine with "gorgeous shoes and no place to go." Apparently, there are. The Maine chapter now hosts an event every other month for shoe lovers to come together and show off their kicks.
"Shoes are the excuse," Wyman said last week, but socializing is the real purpose. Members attend events or join the club knowing they're among fellow shoe lovers, but they also gain an opportunity to meet new friends and network with other women based on a common interest. The club also allows women to do something nice for themselves. "A lot of women just don't treat themselves," Wyman said. "They think all the money has to be spent on children or something practical." Practical purchases are necessary, but sometimes impractical purchases - like the black, above-the-knee leather Manolo Blahnik boots displayed by one Hello Stiletto member - can be worthwhile. Putting on your favorite pair of shoes is "something that makes you feel good inside" and provides a "huge emotional lift," Wyman said. She called shoes "the transformative part" of a woman's wardrobe; another member said she likes food, but she "would gladly go hungry for a week to buy a pair of shoes." Last week Wyman hosted the second event of the Maine chapter at Wine Bar on Wharf Street. Twenty women arrived sporting their favorite violet ballet flats, plaid heels, red peep-toe pumps or raspberry-pink slingbacks. One more signed up for the club after watching the members' traditional "walk off" competition down the middle of the bar. People are drawn to the club, either for shoe fetish or social reasons, and Wyman welcomes anyone interested. "The goal is to keep it really approachable," she said. But the club is not all about frivolity; O'Shea works for the nonprofit organization Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis, and saw the potential for Hello Stiletto to be fun and charitable. Participants at many events are asked to bring new or gently worn shoes to donate to Dress for Success or other groups that help women obtain the right clothes to restart their lives. Wyman's future plans for the Maine chapter include private shopping and fundraising events. She said the club is a "creative and productive way to channel all her shoe energy," but politely declined to comment when asked how many pairs of shoes she owns. She said her current favorites are mauve Mary Jane Bandolino spectator pumps. "Every time I put them on," Wyman said, "it's like magic." Kate Hayes can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 115 or khayes@theforecaster.net.
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