Comfort Your Soles: Dr. Taryn Rose

When Catherine de Medici persuaded a sixteenth-century cobbler in Florence to design a wedding shoe that would increase her stature and wow the French Royal Court, the high heel was born.

Footwear has always been central to women’s lives. Just consider Carrie Bradshaw, Imelda Marcos, or Payless queen Star Jones. But too often it has been a struggle between the desire to look beautiful and the need to function.

Dr. Taryn Rose changed that when she leveraged her career as an orthopedic surgeon to footwear designer after seeing the problems suffered by her patients in their pretty but painful shoes. She felt passionate that the industry needed a stylist who would focus on comfort and health, and she knew she could make the difference. Rose conducted preliminary research for several years, and after an intensive six-month period of “soul searching,” decided to take the plunge. She says, “ I feared regret more than failure.”

Rose adopted the motto “style plus ease” and set about merging smashing good looks with sensible support and structure. She got production up and running through networking. The designs are produced in Italy, where exquisite materials are combined with detailed handmade craftsmanship. “If you are smart and organized, you can go out and do it,” Rose says.

The business took off. Her first merchandise delivery was in 1998, with Nordstrom as her first account. By 2004, the business was doing $20 million in sales.

Soon there were boutique stores in New York and Beverly Hills, where celebrities Melanie Griffith and Brooke Shields are regulars. An extensive collection features a wide range of styles. The dilemma for fans is often choosing between the ballet slippers in satin or leather, the clogs with rhinestone trimmings, or the sharp-looking boots.

Rose says women are so involved with how they dress their feet, since “Shoes give a message about who you are. By taking off one pair and putting on another, you can change your persona on a daily basis.”

Adding her best piece of advice on how to be well-heeled, Rose insists, “Don’t go by the size of the shoe, go by how it feels. And don’t listen to the salesperson who tells you the shoe will break in, because you will suffer for it.” Visit tarynrose.com for retailers around the country.