Getting to know Jimmy Choo’s Tamara Mellon

August 16, 2010

One of my fashion bibles is Harper’s Bazaar. And one of the lust-worthy brands I adore is Jimmy Choo which is why it is so lovely when two such wonderful things come together in one like the current issue of Bazaar. In it, Jimmy Choo founder Tamara Mellon opens the doors to her new New York apartment, and discusses her new life.

Looking at her shoe closet in the magazine, one phrase comes to mind and it’s that of Rachel Zoe’s, “I Die.” Because honestly, look at this. Could one’s shoe karma be any more amazing?!

Douglas Friedman for Harper's Bazaar

In the article, Tamara takes readers on a tour of her home on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, a mix of high art and glam minimalism, and poses with her daughter, Minty. In the interview, she opens up about her lifestyle, overcoming challenges, and building the Jimmy Choo empire.

On her new life in New York: “Last year was the best and worst year of my life, a breakthrough year for me,” Mellon explains. “I’ve moved here and managed to clear up a lot of the wreckage. I feel like I’ve arrived in New York with a clean slate, and I have a whole new set of challenges ahead of me. And I find that invigorating.”

On building the Jimmy Choo empire: “I’ve paid my dues in this business,” she says. She started working when she was 18 at the London fashion emporium Browns. “At the time, I thought, ‘Why am I doing this? I hate this!’ But the lesson I learned was so valuable: I learned retail.” She later met Jimmy Choo, a London cobbler, and the rest is a fashion fairy tale. “But still, when someone asks about a career in fashion, I say start at the bottom,” she says. “If you want to start a business, you have to know it from the ground up.”

You can read the interview in full here, but highly recommend picking up a copy to see all the drool-worthy photos from Tamara’s incredible apartment.

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  1. Niaomi says:

    Shoe blogs are just the greatest hangouts ever. Thanks!

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