Timeless Ferragamo

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Ninety years and thousands of pairs of shoes ago, a 16-year-old Italian cobbler named Salvatore Ferragamo came to Los Angeles hoping to find a little glamour.

He found a little -- and then he created a lot more. So it seems fitting that the twin worlds of fame and fortune have honored him on the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style, on one of the ritziest shopping streets in the world.

Mr. Ferragamo's plaque took its place last month with those belonging to Tom Ford, Giorgio Armani, Edith Head, Mario Testino and a handful of others at the corner of Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way, which award organizers describe as the intersection of fashion and film.

From the early days of his career at the Hollywood Boot Shop, which he opened in 1923 just as studios began to turn out lavishly costumed films, Mr. Ferragamo knew the link between Ferragamo -- the man and the brand -- and celebrities would be one of the keys to success.

He courted and won over stars such as Lillian Gish, Joan Crawford and Great Garbo and later Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Sofia Loren, with his creative styles and innovative wedge heel. The big names even followed him to his palazzo in Italy for shoe fittings once Mr. Ferragamo returned in 1927 to be with his family and the fine craftsmen in his homeland.

"When he went to America, he was very young," recalls his wife, Wanda, still an officer at the company. "He started to design very fantastic shoes. The movie actresses and artists started to be enthusiastic about them. Because of that, we have a great legacy with the cinema."

Mr. Ferragamo's youngest son, Massimo, adds: "They loved his charm and his shoes, and he knew how to make shoes comfortable."

Ferragamo shoes first appeared on-screen on Miss Gish in "Way Down East" and on the feet of the entire cast of Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments." Most recently, they were featured in "The Departed," "Miami Vice" and "The Devil Wears Prada." In between, Miss Monroe wore them in "The Seven Year Itch," and Drew Barrymore's princess slippers in "Ever After" were made by Ferragamo.

Mr. Ferragamo's grandson James, who is charged with the brand's handbag and leather goods division, says personal relationships with consumers set the brand apart from others that might find themselves with an "it" item one minute that becomes obsolete the next.

"Our customer has an understanding of fashion, is sophisticated. It's not a customer who's driven by a bag that could become a fad. We want you to be able to carry it tomorrow."