Betsy Johnson

Betsy Johnson

Chicago Fashion Designer, Kathryn Kerrigan of Kathryn Kerrigan, Inc

http://www.examiner.com/fashion-designers-in-chicago/a-finney

Love, love, love these shoes, and they come in sizes six through fifteen. We are talking zippers, cross over straps, rich leathers, unique colors, imprints, textures and suedes. These exceptional styles are classic and fashion forward. Peeps, flats, heels and boots, they're all here. Designer, Kathryn Kerrigan, founder of luxury brand, Kathryn Kerrigan, Inc., has created styles for just about everybody. Exquisite all. They are impeccably made with a lot of attention to detail. Headquartered in Libertyville, Illinois, approximately forty-five miles north of Chicago, she also has boutiques in Chicago's trendy Bucktown area, and Winnipeg, Canada.

Kathryn admits to always being fascinated by fashion, but it was not until she was about twenty-five years old that she knew she wanted to be a designer of women's shoes. She is the granddaughter of a Chicago socialite, and fashionista, whose closet was every girl's dream.

Kathryn's journey to designing came after gaining degrees in both politics and history from Lake Forest College, being a pre-law major, and attending Loyola University of Chicago, where she received an MBA. Armed with her newly minted master's degree, inherited sense of fashion, and a business plan for a women's shoe company for larger shoe sizes, she launched Kathryn Kerrigan Footwear.

The mission of Kathryn Kerrigan, Inc., is to be the market leader in the luxury shoe market for tall women. She plans on achieving this goal by providing high quality shoes for the United States and International markets.

Some of her inspiration comes from meeting designer, Betsy Johnson, but she also draws inspiration from Diane von Furstenberg, and other big fashion names like Balenciaga.

Her designs have been critiqued by industry professionals who own boutiques, and by major retailers. Kathryn's design philosophy is: Classic and timeless. She makes pieces that can be in style for fifteen years -- not just for a season.

Her advice to up and coming designers is that you must posses a terrific sense of style, limitless creativity, a yearning to be fashion forward – and stay true to your brand. You must also have a lot of drive and persistence.

In 2009, Kathryn's shoes were included in the prestigious New York Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. She would love to design for Nicole Kidman, because she wears a larger size shoe, and is always so elegantly poised and well-dressed.

Kathryn says Chicago has a lot of fashion savvy consumers who want the latest styles and trends. Her hope is to see more independent and established designers bring their business here.

In the future, she plans to have more retail distribution in terms of Kathryn Kerrigan boutiques, increased wholesale distribution, and web distribution, which services women all over the world.

You can purchase Kathryn Kerrigan shoes online at www.kathrynkerrigan.com, and at her stores Kathryn Kerrigan Chicago, Illinois, USA in Libertyville and in Bucktown. Prices range from $99 to the mid-$300s. These rices are for European handcrafted shoes made of the finest leathers and material.

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How small is a 0 in betsy Johnson?

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BETSEY JOHNSON SPRING 2011, MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK NEW YORK