Also this issue: The Style Issue Philly Sole A New Sensation This just in: Stylish shoes don’t (always) have to hurt. -Helen i-lin Hwang Good Moves Get in shape for spring and summer shoes. -Debra Auspitz Plat Fall One writer’s tale of high-heeled woe. -Trish Boppert Foot for Thought -Meredith Broussard Too Pretty, Baby? Kids’ shoes are taking a sexy turn, and the results can be disturbing. -Trish Boppert Martha Chamberlain -Lori Hill Mason Warner -Debra Auspitz

April 17-23, 2003

cover story

Henri David

David (pictured with his partner, Paul Struck) owns Halloween, a Philly staple for unique jewelry. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

by D.A

Name:

Henri David

Where to find him:

David (pictured with his partner, Paul Struck) owns Halloween, a Philly staple for unique jewelry.

Alley cat:David keeps some of his 300-plus pairs of shoes in what he calls "shoe alley," a narrow hallway in his home built to the ceiling with cubbies for shoes.

How long he’s been collecting:

"Since I could afford to buy shoes, since I was 14 or 15. Luckily, my feet haven’t changed [since then]."

Biggest splurge:

A pair of thigh-high snakeskin boots David got in London in the ’70s. "I didn’t have two cents to my name -- nobody ate for two weeks [after the purchase]."

What draws him to shoes:

"The silhouette is the first thing. I find the concept of feet very funny, that those little things hold up a whole person. When you change the silhouette [with shoes], that’s even funnier."

Shoes make the man:

Shoes are "the finishing touch. It’s amazing how people zone in on your shoes. I don’t like to wear the same pair every day. That’s probably why they last so long."

Shoe hunter:

David travels about five times a year for his work, and he says "every country I go to I look for shoes. In [Asia], I have trouble finding shoes in my size."

So, world traveler, where’s the greatest place to find shoes?

"Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles. It’s like going to Mecca. I go to Frederick’s of Hollywood, and the salesgirls don’t bat an eye at men trying on [women’s] shoes. Between drag queens and strippers, that’s all they have."