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PrintFashion & Beauty | Diamonds for the Feet
Crystal-encrusted shoes are all the rage.
Niecy Nash shows off Tiffany Dawson’s sparkling creation.
Photograph by Heidi Ryder Photography
It’s not easy to get the women of ABC’s “The View” to agree, but the splashy Swarovski crystal stiletto created by Smyrna’s Tiffany Dawson had them all oohing and aahing.
Guest Niecy Nash, former host of the Style channel’s “Clean House,” had worn the shoes at her wedding and brought a pair to “The View” in May to gift to Sherri Shepherd, who had been Nash’s bridesmaid. Shepherd later ordered a second pair in a different color to wear for her own wedding. Elisabeth Hasselbeck also bought a pair of the footwear bling.
“Each individual shoe has about 3,000 crystals on it, and it takes 80 hours to complete a pair of shoes,” says Dawson. She and her daughter, Amber Hankins of Middletown, founded the online business Glam-Luxe in 2009 to sell designer shoes, clothing and jewelry. The crystal stiletto is the first product they created themselves.
“It kind of happened by accident,” says Dawson, who is also an entertainer and runs an event promotion business. “I had made a pair for myself to wear to a fancy wedding where I was performing, and the bride kind of went off over my shoes. She later ordered a pair and told all her wealthy friends about them.”
After “The View” aired, Dawson and Hankins had to hire others to help them keep up with the demand for the custom-crystallized shoe.
The shoes are available in a rainbow of crystal colors, but clear is still the most popular. “It’s like walking on diamonds,” Dawson says.
The hefty price tag—$950-$1,200—puts the fully crystal-encrusted shoe out of reach for many, but Dawson says if a bride provided her own shoes and just wanted a sprinkling of crystals, or perhaps crystal-encrusted heels, it can be done for less than $200. (Glam-Luxe.com, 888-Glam-Lux.)
