John Fluevog is a Vancouver success story, with foreign outlets that include Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Melbourne. You can see what the fuss is about at John Fluevog Boots & Shoes (837 Granville Street, Downtown, 604-688-2828, www.fluevog.com). For those drawn to Betty Boop—style clunkers or Cinderella-like flights of fancy, this is shoe heaven. Fluevog makes and sells high, low, and mid-calf boots that include the Ultra Vog Grand National lace-up and the Swordfish Engineer Boot, all the better to run your enemy through with. There are also ultra-pointy Japanese slip-ons, and chunky styles that hint at Copenhagen or maybe Berlin punk. So renowned is this footwear that wearers, said to include Madonna and Marilyn Manson, are known as “Fluevogers.”
Less outrageous casuals for younger feet, by trendy lines like Tsubo and Diesel, are available at Intra-Venus (1072 Mainland Street, Yaletown, 604-685-9696).
Bin lookin’ for a pair of red leather, gold-studded, mid-calf boots with four-inch stiletto heels? Well, there they are at Kalena’s (1526 Commercial Drive, East Vancouver, 604-255-3727), along with other Italian shoes and boots for ladies made by Podium, Baldan, Piampiani, and others. Styles run from très European walking shoes to sexy dress sandals, with glitzy purses to match. Kalena’s also sells similarly handcrafted footwear for men from Mauri, Vittorio Virgili, and Maros — for those who know their shoemakers.
At the Shoe Studio (1406 Old Bridge Road, Granville Island, 604-647-0393), you can pick up handmade sandals or a pair of purple “star-gazers” plush slippers with a coiled toe right out of the Arabian Nights, starting at about $225. Owner-designer Ken Rice also makes custom clogs (as in rolling-soled decorative sandals) for John Fluevog.
The Australian Boot Company (1968 West 4th Avenue, Kitsilano, 604-738-2668, www.australianboot.com) sells tough, handsome, lace-free ankle boots made by Down Under’s Blundstone Footwear (since 1870).
Finally, there’s the Vancouver-born Dayton Shoe Company (872 Granville Street, Downtown, 604-682-2668; and 2250 East Hastings Street, East Vancouver, 604-253-6671). Founded in 1946 to make boots for loggers, it has since expanded into a provider of high-quality cowhide “service footwear” to ranchers, oil-rig workers, longshore¬men, police officers, firefighters, and motorcyclists. It also serves the glitterati: Kurt Russell, Angelina Jolie, Kevin Costner, and Cindy Crawford are all Dayton owners. The business has even opened an outlet for its handmade footwear on LA’S Melrose Avenue.
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