{ meet the brand } KM2 Shoes

The old woman who lived in a shoe would have been blessed to take up residence inside a pair of KM2 pumps, appropriately dubbed "shoes to live in." And I must say that I agree with the sentiment. The brand is bursting with pairs ready for your next urban adventure.

{ Meet the Designer }
Katelyn Gelber of KM2 Shoes

{ Tell us about yourself and KM2 Shoes }

"Hi! My name is Katelyn Young Gelber. I am from St. Louis, Missouri - born and raised. I spent some time on the East Coast and now live on the West Coast. I am loving it. I am one of three sisters (Megan and Mattison) and 1/3 owner of Km2. We also have a brother, Parker Gelber. We got started in a UCLA marketing class. It really began when our professor noticed a passion for fashion in us and said, 'Hey, why not go for it! The first step gets you half way there.' So we took the first step and a year and half later, here we are. Its all truly by the Grace of God, every sister would agree."

{ Where do you find inspiration? }

"My sister Megan is actually creative director of the company so this is really more her question, but we all do have some say in the design room. We are really inspired by people. We are inspired by strong women, whether that be public figures or even fictional characters. We are inspired by boldness and a zest for life, we think of women in wonderful life situations and try to build our shoes around that situation and into that situation. Does that make sense? We like to have a story for every shoe. With that being said, of course we are continually inspired by traveling and culture and runway collections by our favorite designers."

{ What surprised you about designing shoes? }

"We were surprised by how many possibilities there are. You think to yourself, 'Well, shoes are shoes,' but they are so much more. I mean, we start with our shoes when we get ready for the day! The shoes are the focal point and we build our outfits around them. You can have a classic shoe and mix fabrics and embellishments to make such a statement. There are endless ideas when it comes to art for your feet, I would say the hardest part is stopping ourselves from going crazy and creating hundreds of styles that would overwhelm our clients."

{ Do you have a favorite pair? }

"My favorite shoe is the Audrey. I like it every which way. I like it in snake or nude or basic black. I love bows! I love bows plain and I love them with jewels. I have three different versions of the Audrey and they are perfect for work and then paired with a black dress to go out at night. They are oh so classy and oh so versatile. Megan designed them."

{ The Review }

When Katelyn, co-owner of KM2 Shoes, and I first started chatting, I was struck by her sheer enthusiasm and zest for life - qualities that are reflected in the line of wearable, sassy footwear.

I chose the Gloria pair for its striking mix of vintage embellishments and strappy chains. I will admit that I was a little intimidated by the long chains when I lifted the shoes from the box. It took a little finesse and patience to wrap them up my ankle! But this is precisely why KM2 Shoes is unique: there's room for creativity and customization. I opted to wrap the chains under the arch of the shoe, and the chains on the Venus pair are shown draped over the heel.

The attention to detail isn't just reserved for the shoes. You know that I'm smitten with packaging and KM2 didn't let me down. The package itself was wrapped in brown craft paper and hand-stamped with my address.

A deep purple ribbon adorned the box - testament to Katelyn's love of bows, I'm sure! But it also speaks to the brand's target market: a woman who is effortless, carefree and confident - and a woman who treats herself. The shoes range from $200 to $300 per pair. When you consider that the shoes are leather, durable, comfortable and hand-embellished, the price tag does becomes more reasonable for a special pair of Cinderella-esque shoes!

Love 'em? Giveaway announcement soon!