Okay, so shoes don’t make the woman–or the man.
But–as anyone who’s ever found nirvana at a shoe sale will tell you–they certainly help.
And for folks like Janel Williams, whose childhood bout with polio left one leg much larger than the other, shopping for the perfect pair becomes an event of epic proportions.
When you’re disabled, Williams says, the right pair of shoes–namely, one with a sturdy ankle strap–mean the difference between walking with confidence or falling flat on your face.
Unfortunately, the right pair of shoes–or wheelchair-friendly suit, dress or overcoat–is about as elusive a target as Don Quixote’s windmills.
Such frustrations prompted the Oak Park resident to create the Fashion Detour Design Studio, a clearinghouse for the fashion needs of the disabled. And out of that came the genesis for Solid Gold, a disabled shopper’s program, which debuts July 6 at Nordstrom’s at Oak Brook. If it’s successful, the program will branch out to other stores.
“Clothes and shoes are a basic necessity to participate in life,” Williams says. “And somehow, most companies don’t seem to think that’s important for people with disabilities.”
With Solid Gold, gold dots stuck on price tags will direct shoppers to disability-friendly clothes. Seminars hosted by Williams will keep them abreast of the latest trends, while alteration services, trained sales staff and communication devices for the hearing impaired are intended to fill in other shopping gaps.
Not that Williams intends to stop there.
Already, she’s founded a modeling troupe, “Les Movements,” featuring disabled men and women of all ages. And next year, she hopes to launch her own clothing line–one that’s guaranteed to feature a mini skirt or two.
“My theme is `Don’t hide it, enhance it’,” William says. “People will look at me a little strange, but I feel my entire body is beautiful.
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“Most people with disabilities are shy. Not by choice, but by the way people respond to them. And so you have these wonderful characters locked up inside them. It’s my job to release them.”
His Story
A question for the Gloved One: If you insist on thwarting Mother Nature with your Neverneverland hair, can’t you at least find a flame retardant ‘do that brings you into the ’90s?
I mean, if I recall correctly, the late ’70s was the last time you could wear the Farrah Flip without eliciting snickers.
That’s it. No more Michael Jackson cracks.
Unless, of course, he does–or wears–something really, really tacky.