Grandmothers often have the very best tips. For example, my grandma used to say, Don’t sit in the sun after 25, and she was right–the sun is terrible for your skin. (Thank goodness I followed her advice.) She also told me about the most extraordinary shoe repair service in New York City, called Pavlos. Simply put, the experts at this little shop make old shoes look like new–and that means brand new. I have a closet full of shoes, but I also have favorite pairs that I reach for again and again. Case in point: my beloved suede mules by Manolo Blahnik (two pairs, purple and orange), which are comfortable and chic. They’re also more than twenty years old. Every time I take them back to Pavlos, the very kind owner just shakes his head and says, Hmm, I don’t know –but then he saves them. Recently, during New York Fashion Week, a friend from Paris was in town with a pair of his favorite boots, which were falling apart. (Apparently, no one in Paris would touch them.) We took them to Pavlos, where they worked their miracle–and my friend’s boots came back looking as though he’d just bought them. If you’re a shoe fanatic, Pavlos will help you maintain your collection. Thank you, Grandma!

Photograph by Ron Reeves