Aquazzura’s Edgardo Osorio Knows Best: Women, Sexy Shoes & More

Figuring out what women really want out of their wardrobes, is just as complicated as cracking the Rubix cube. For Aquazzura’s Edgardo Osorio however, decoding a woman’s true desire in terms of fashion footwear, is nothing short of effortless observation, sexy aesthetics, and sheer comfortability.

Sitting fluently cool, legs crossed, and with the utmost in humble confidence, the luxury designer dismisses the notion that “beauty is pain.”

“Women have changed so much over the past few years in the way [that] they think and what they are ready to suffer for,” he says with a chuckle. “I just thought, ‘If you could choose between a beautiful shoe and a beautiful comfortable shoe, what would you buy?’ In the end, you would buy the beautiful comfortable one. [With that], I have a fantastic gap in the market that I can fill.”

Touching down in Dallas on a rainy Friday, Osorio took to NorthPark Center’s Neiman Marcus, braving the flash flood warnings to personally introduce shoppers to Aquazzura’s new Resort collection. Straps, fringe, poms, and studs delicately adorn the collection, with the quintessential throwback to the brand’s major counterparts named Sexy and Ease.

A noted fave for top model Gigi Hadid, and a go-to for the everyday working woman, it’s clear from the look of things, that Osorio has it all figured out. He knows what a woman wants, and he delivers.

Taking a quick break before his long-awaited appearance, and relatively denoted as the calm before the storm (no pun intended), we sat down with Aquazzura’s creative director to chat all things shoe trends, past experiences, and of course Instagram #inspo. For all this and more, read on for the scoop — but only if the shoe fits.

Inspire N Style: Your fashion resume and experience is beyond impressive. Why did you choose footwear rather than another avenue within fashion?

Edgardo Osorio: “I started working in fashion very, very young. I was immediately [and] naturally pushed to shoes. I would always start any outfit from the shoes up, and I would always [sic] doodle shoes. It was just natural.”

You’ve worked for distinguished brands such as Roberto Cavalli and Salvatore Ferragamo before launching Aquazzura in 2011. Were there any lessons that you learned from “the greats” that you carried with you up until now?

“First of all, it was the Italian and especially the Tuscan craftsmanship. All of the companies that I worked for, it was the search for quality and the search for things that are made well. Specifically with Ferragamo, it was about fit and comfort and making the shoe constructive in a proper way – and that a woman needs to be comfortable. At Cavalli, it was more like…leather, jeweled things, embroidered things…and I got to meet amazing artisans, some of which I still work with today.”

Tell us more about your Italian influences. Forgive us if we have a bit of wanderlust!

“Tuscany is the center of the world for luxury craftsmanship and accessories, bags, shoes, and even jewelry. Being there, breathing that air, and working with those artisans – it’s just a very, very special place to work.”

How do you keep your shoe collections fresh season after season?

“As a designer, naturally you’re like a sponge, you absorb everything. I take pictures of everything and I’m interested in everything. Whenever I visit a city, I try to go to the museums. I want to go to the hottest restaurants and see the ladies and what they’re wearing and what they look like. I’m naturally curious and I’m always traveling.”

You boldly cite to social media for much of your design inspiration. What platform has the largest influence for your creative direction?

“Lately, Instagram has been a huge influence. I follow so many different [accounts] from art to fashion to client to friends to everything, and I love the connection that I have with my customers on social media. I can see what they’re wearing, what they look like, where they’re going and the things that they like.

The Fall/Winter season was really inspired by following my customers around on Instagram and looking at what their lives were, where they were going, and what kind of shoes they needed – and we adopted based on those needs.”

Let’s chat the Resort Collection for a bit. What’s the current vibe and what type of woman is it meant to attract?

“The Resort Collection is more about escape. I was thinking of the things you want when you go away or the shoes that make you want to go on a holiday. One of the shoes – it started with an Instagram picture of a client of mine in Australia. She was packing to go away on a holiday and the way that she packed her things – it [had] me thinking of getting away and what kind of shoes she would wear.

There is a new easiness to the collection. There’s a lot more block heels, a lot more chunkier heels, platforms, and things like that. There’s this very big bohemian vibe and easiness to things – a lot of fringe, a lot of boho chic – which are very easy to wear. A lot of the collection just felt easy and cool.”

We see so many impressive flats within the Aquazzura collection. How were you able to break the mold and make flats appear both sexy and desirable?

“I was just paying attention to what women were telling me, and in the case of the flats…it’s a flat that you can wear from day to night. A lot of our best shoes have this versatility.

The nice thing about the flats is that you can really wear them with a beautiful cocktail dress and look totally great, and you can also wear them to take your kids to school. I think that’s what makes them modern in a way; the fact that you can change your clothes but you don’t need to change your shoe.”

What is the ultimate Aquazzura Resort Collection must-have?

“You need to buy the Christy flat in all the colors!”

Lastly, we’re never ones to wait. Give us a sneak peek into upcoming shoe trends.

“Chunky heels, round toes, and platforms are definitely coming back in a more laidback way — moreso what you would wear with long white jeans or with a long flowy dress. The shoes will be more boho instead of stiletto high.”

Images used courtesy of Neiman Marcus. Credit Jonathan Zizzo for Getty Images.