Found: Fall’s Most Understated, Elegant Boots and Flats—And They’re Less Than $250
Among Julie Houts’s many illustrations that poke fun at the fashion industry, there’s one I think about a lot—two women in elegant, minimalist clothes, surrounded by elegant, minimalist furniture, with a caption for every piece: “top, $9 million”; “everyday casual earrings, $9 million”; “very simple, very no-big-deal black pant with small notch detail at hem, $9 million.” Hyperbolic, yes, but astute! That minimalist, ultraluxe aesthetic—think: The Row, Jil Sander, Lemaire—has become synonymous with eye-popping price tags. (Another Houts illustration depicts a woman in plain white trousers, a plain turtleneck, and a plain camel coat, preaching: “For me, it’s about spending $350–500k every season on timeless, classic pieces that never go out of style.”)
Plenty of women aspire to that look and dream of an understated, neutral-toned wardrobe, but few of us can shell out a month’s rent on a cardigan or boot—so where do you go? With shoes in particular, it’s virtually impossible to find a pair that’s at once simple, elegant, and affordable. There’s a glut of trendy and well-priced shoes out there, but try scoring a black boot without a weird heel, an extraneous strap, or shiny hardware for less than $500. Not easy!
That’s where men’s shoe label Jack Erwin comes in. Founders Ariel Nelson and Lane Gerson, as well as women’s director Julia Arnhold (who is also Gerson’s wife), just introduced their first women’s collection of boots, loafers, and mules that look, at first glance, entirely overpriced. In leather and nubuck, they’re chic, nuanced, and eminently wearable, with the kinds of details—like a squared-off toe or sculptural wedge—that you typically only find at high-end labels. And yet every style comes in under $250.
Inspired by the women who already shop in Jack Erwin’s men’s store on Madison Avenue, the team applied their signature sleek lines and high-grade materials to the women’s styles. There’s nothing “menswear-inspired” or “borrowed from the boys” about the wedge boots and slip-on mules, though. As a fashion consultant, Arnhold’s own style and expertise informed the walkable heels and special details, or lack thereof. The Lola boot comes without a side gusset, for instance, for a cleaner, more evening-appropriate finish, while the Morgan flat is a more feminine take on a Venetian loafer.
“Our approach [for both men and women] centers around the idea of simplifying and imbuing elegance into classic styles to create shoes built for repetition,” Arnhold explains. “We believe there’s great confidence in restraint and wanted the shoes to feel considered in every way but not overdesigned. The fundamentals of material, fit, and construction are the top priorities because we’re not spending time thinking about flourishes or statements. It’s a concept [typically] reserved for ultraluxury labels—we don’t see other brands in our price point embracing that ethos.”
That sensibility will pique the interest of women with similarly luxe-minimal tastes, but those of us who are into bold prints and colors might be drawn to the wear-anywhere, goes-with-everything ease of each pair. Sometimes you really just need a plain shoe to wear with that wild vintage skirt you scored at A Current Affair or a no-fuss boot to ground the statement coat you’re investing in this fall.
The shoes are all being manufactured in Portugal in the same factory as the Jack Erwin men’s line, with a direct-to-consumer model that enables consistent, fair prices. For the women’s launch, the trio had six years of men’s design experience on their side—and a deep understanding of how men’s shoes differ from women’s. “It struck us that there’s always been a bit of a deficit in quality in women’s outsoles relative to men’s, so we designed our boots with thicker midsoles paired with rubber outsoles for more heft,” Arnhold explains. That’s key for New Yorkers who put their shoes through hell. As she puts it, city dwellers have “a dress-for-doing mentality, so practicality was a big consideration.” Just in time for cooler weather, the women’s styles are available now on jackerwin.com, or you can pick them up IRL in the label’s store at 488 Madison Avenue.
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Photo: Courtesy of Jack Erwin1/10
Photo: Courtesy of Jack Erwin2/10
