ML - Michigan Avenue

2013 - Issue 5 - September

Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!

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TASTEMAKER Heel Love JOLIET NATIVE BRIAN ATWOOD'S SHOES HAVE CONQUERED THE RED CARPET, AND NOW THEY'RE MARCHING DOWN THE WEDDING AISLE. BY LAURIE BROOKINS D esigners rarely know with any certainty that a celebrity will wear his or her label for a major event—don't believe it until you've witnessed the red carpet with your own eyes, they'll say—but for at least one key woman in his life, Brian Atwood knows his shoes trump all others. "Melissa I can trust," Atwood says with a laugh, referring to actress Melissa McCarthy, a friend of the designer's since the age of 15 (they attended Joliet Catholic Academy together), and later his roommate in New York when both were in the early stages of their careers. "I used to book her stand-up comedy acts for her," he remembers. "I always knew she was destined to be a star." For her appearance at the 2012 Oscars, where McCarthy was a supporting actress nominee for Bridesmaids, Atwood crafted a custom handbag and shoes, inscribing on the soles, "To my best friend Melissa McCarthy," with the date. And when McCarthy hosted Saturday Night Live in April, her monologue was built around a pair of skyhigh sparkling-red platform pumps that gave her more than a bit of (intentional, for comedic effect) trouble. Earlier in the day, McCarthy and Atwood had picked out the shoes together: his $895 Alesha pumps, with their three-inch "monster platform" and six-and-a-half-inch heel, the highest shoes you'll find among Atwood's collections. Since he launched his eponymous label in 2001, Atwood has excelled at 100 Brian Atwood takes inspiration from the women in his life, including his sister, who was the catalyst for his new bridal collection. MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 100-101_MA_SS_StyleSetter_Sept_13.indd 100 8/7/13 1:11 PM

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