David Wyatt black suede shoe with pink satin bow

While Edon Manor has been around for 2 years, it is new to me. I stopped by recently for my first visit and I loved everything about it – plus owners Davinia Wang and Ryan Korban took some time to answer a few questions about their store.

Outside Edon Manor in Tribeca

I was greeted by Emily – who looked like a cross between an angel and a hipster – and before even looking around the boutique, I told her I loved her outfit. She was wearing a loose brown mohair sweater with beige shorts, beige tights and beige Sergio Rossi shoes. I wanted to know whose shorts she was wearing. She didn’t know offhand and said I could look at the tag in the back – I tried but couldn’t figure it out upside down. It didn’t matter – she looked adorable. She admired my hair which I thought was funny – and I hers – to which she replied ‘Oh I didn’t do mine today.’

Emily helping me at Edon Manor

I immediately connected with Emily – personable and lovely – and she told me she was a friend of the owners – they only hire people they know and trust. Because Emily is a friend, her connection to the boutique goes beyond just being a salesperson.

As for the store itself – I was very impressed. First of all, I am a boutique shopper. I love the intimacy and the fact that the store is small. It’s beautifully designed – made it a pleasure.

Inside Edon Manor

Beautiful art work by Jenna Snyder-Phillips

The owners handpick shoes from some of fashion’s biggest names – Azzedine Alaïa, Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, Givenchy, Nina Ricci and so on.

Proenza Schouler wedges

The very popular Alexander Wang leopard wedge

Alaïa velvet boot – last pair remaining

Givenchy suede snake chain sandal

What was most important for me, however, was the fact that Edon Manor carries some labels I hadn’t heard of before. I love discovering new brands – and these were all very chic: Méchante of London, David Wyatt (from London), Tania Spinelli (the daughter of a Sicilian tailor and seamstress who began her own shoe line here in the States).

David Wyatt black suede shoe with leopard platform

Méchante of London black suede shoes

I tried on a few of these new brands. I really loved the David Wyatt suede shoe with the pink ribbon…

Trying on David Wyatt

Edon Manor also carries some handbags and various accessories – sunglasses, scarves, hosiery. I’m obsessed with stingray – such a great material – and this clutch by Arianne Tunney caught my eye.

Arianne Tunney stingray clutch

As I was leaving the store, Emily told me she is opening up a yoga studio. I love yoga, too – maybe that was the karmic connection for us.

I didn’t get to meet the owners Davinia Wang and Ryan Korban personally, but they took some time to answer a few quick questions I had about their business:

Since you opened two and a half years ago, who do you consider some of the most exciting emerging shoe designers in fashion?
Alexander Wang and Joseph Altuzurra.

Will you be bringing in men’s shoes any time soon? If so, which designers would you like to carry?
We’ve gone back and forth about that. Right now, we are still focused on perfecting our mix of women’s shoes. Because we are still a younger store, we’ve been trying different designers and giving that our attention. If and when we bring in men’s shoes, it will be a mix of more forward designs – like Lanvin and Balenciaga for men – with more traditional shoes like Church’s and an Italian loafer brand. It would be cool to bring in Manolo Blahnik for men, which is popular in Asia but not really in the States.

I prefer a more elegant silhouette in a shoe, but lately I’ve been trying some more adventurous and progressive styles. What is your favorite shoe style?
Ryan: I love black suede – any style – traditional or avant garde. It looks expensive.
Davinia: I love anything that feels architectural. Bold lines and confident shapes are my favorite style shoes.

I love the variety of established and lesser-known designers Edon Manor carries. How do you find these insider brands? And how would you characterize your shoe and accessory selection overall?
Ryan: Davinia is from London and she has an eye for browns and taupes. My influence is darker, more New York black. In general, we have two different aesthetics coming together. At the start, we included lesser-known designers from London that we really liked, and eventually this small community of artisan shoe designers discovered us and began coming to us – which is very exciting.

We’re happy to get down and dirty and make time for putting together a special selection – we attend Première Classe in Paris and really take the time to walk the tents and browse designers from all over the world. With some of the bigger, more established brands, we work directly with their sales directors to ensure that we can bring in the shoes that we know our clients will love – some of these shoes aren’t even available at their flagships – but we strive to offer what we think are the most exciting styles from a collection each season.

Above all, I would say our selection is about ‘specialty.’