Atelier Doré

Marina Larroudé is a breath of fresh air. Shana and myself had so much fun walking around the Upper East Side and chatting shoes, the quirkiness of New York living, and new her « baby, » Larroudé. Marina wants to bring you fashion forward shoes at more reasonable prices. And we can all get behind that :)

How would you describe your style in three words?

Pratical, Playful, Colorful.

What is your trick to getting dressed in the city in the summer when the temperature won’t quit?
Dresses and flats! I’m a dress person no matter what time of the year. But in the summer, I just love a printed summer dress or white cotton frocks. I can’t resist a beautiful summer dress, I’ve been collecting many through the years. They are my fashion weakness.

How do you think quarantine will change fashion in the long run?

My life changed, I no longer need to be super dressed up for my work day. I’m definitely more casual now for my day to day than I’ve ever been. I don’t see that changing in the long run. And the way I purchase things are much more conscious, do I really need it? Do I want this piece for a long run? Do I see myself wearing it over and over again? If the answer is yes, than I proceed with the purchase :)

Most valuable (to you) piece of clothing in your wardrobe?

It’s going to sound obnoxious, but through the years, I’ve been collecting some very good Alaia dresses. I’ve purchase them on sale, at the outlet in Paris (secret editor’s spot, were we use to stop by as soon as we landed in Paris), when I worked at Barneys and had my employee discount, or I search for unique ones in The Real Real. I just love them. After so many years, I’m proud of assortment. They are my most treasured pieces.

Talk to us about Larroudé! What inspired you to found the company and what is your design ethos surrounding it?

Through out my career, I spoke to hundreds of women about their fashion desires. The majority told me that they LOVE fashion but the price was prohibitive. Or they could not justify paying a high amount for a fun shoe, so they went with the safe option, the classic black that they thought they would wear more. After many years in the industry, I saw this gap in the market, specially in the footwear business. Beautifully made pieces cost a fortune, or the lower price points are cheaply made, not in leather, with rubber sole, bad quality.

Thats when I figure it out. Let’s do fashion designer quality shoes, priced to the consumer. So my team and I started developing the best quality handmade shoe, all leather, perfect fit, memory foam in the insole, leather outsole, using only the highest quality materials, with tons of fashion…. Once the product was done, then we said, OK, let’s figure it out the retail price for to the consumer. Lets give women what they want. That’s how the concept of Larroudé was born. Fashion items, at super high quality, but at an attainable price point. Everything is designed and made for the the client in mind without cutting corners.

The concept turned into the reality, and reality proved that I was right, the pieces we are selling the most at larroude.com are the unique printed shoes! The most unique items, they are not buying the black from us. They are buying the fashion, but not fast fashion, fashion that will last. Pieces that should be worn year after year. Thats our ethos.