A Sicilian Summer: An Interview with Sam, Founder of Charlie Stone Shoes
Summer is just around the corner, and at Charlie Stone Shoes, there’s no season we love more. It’s a time for effortless elegance, sunlit adventures, and, of course, the perfect pair of shoes to carry you through it all. That’s why we’re so excited to introduce our Summer 2025 styles, designed to blend vintage charm with all-day comfort.
To give you an inside look at the inspiration behind our latest designs, we sat down with Sam, the founder and creative force behind Charlie Stone Shoes. Sam’s journey began in 2014 when she set out to solve a problem she faced herself—she adored the timeless elegance of vintage heels but found herself constantly reaching for the stability and ease of sneakers and flats, especially while dancing lindy hop.
Determined to bridge the gap between style and comfort, she spent a year developing what she originally envisioned as ‘dance shoes.’ But as she refined her designs, her vision expanded into something even greater: a collection of elegant vintage-inspired flats that looked like heels from above but featured a specially engineered flat sole, designed for every woman who wanted to express herself through vintage style with confidence. This innovation allowed for the grace of a vintage pump with the wearability of a sneaker, offering a unique balance of beauty, stability, and long-lasting comfort—perfect for women who are always on the move.
Now, over a decade later, Charlie Stone Shoes continues to evolve while staying true to its mission of effortless elegance. In this interview, Sam takes us behind the scenes of the latest collection, sharing her inspiration, design process, and what makes this season’s styles so special. Let’s dive in!
Tell us about the new collection!
Our new collection is called ‘L’estate in Sicilia’ (‘summer in Italy’) and it’s inspired by the Romance and nostalgia of hot summers in Sicily in the 1950’s and 60’s. I decided to revive 2 old designs that were very popular previously and reimagine them in these 2 new styles that kept the same spirit of summer but in the new context of how I saw ‘L’estate in Sicilia’.
Why summer in Sicily?
Being married to an Italian, we go back every summer to visit family and to enjoy the magic of the Italian summer. There is truly a magic there in that season that I’ve yet to experience elsewhere, and no matter where we go to find inspiration, I always come back to the familiar comfort yet always surprisingly stunning enchantment of Italy. I’ve only been to Sicily once, but it remains a core memory for me as it was just beyond spectacular – from it’s crystal waters to the abundance of good food. Italy also has this incredible harmony between other-worldly elegance (from its fashion, food and language) and a casual kind of familial warmth where people value friends, family and the enjoyment of a slow-paced life. When it comes to enjoying life in the summer, I think they’ve got it figured out!
So does that mean you’ve always got a pair of Charlie Stones in your suitcase when you go on summer vacation?
Yes absolutely! Funnily enough, one time I was in Florence and walking across Ponte Vecchio, I bumped into a customer who was wearing a pair of Charlie Stones as well, which was an amazing coincidence!
Why only have 2 styles this season?
So for those who know us, we tend to release only 2 or 3 styles per season because we feel like it’s reflective of how we at Charlie Stone are each season – we kind of pick an aesthetic, sometimes it’s whatever’s in trend or it’s based around our travel plans, or inspired by things you’re currently into – and then from that we choose just a few staple pieces that go with that aesthetic. We’re not into the idea of buying a ton of different things that you end up wearing once or twice and then putting away in a wardrobe forever only to forget about it completely.
So with this kind of ‘slow fashion’ idea in mind, we like to make just 2-3 styles that cover the different needs over that season (in this case, a very casual wedge and then a more ‘dressed up’ flat), and then a few colours in each to cater for the different preferences of our friends and customers.
What inspired the designs in this collection? Were there any particular themes, moods, or stories you wanted to capture in these designs?
Well I knew before starting the design process that I wanted an open toe wedge and I wanted an open toe flat – the reason being that they are what I consider to be the staples for summer fun and travel. When you’re out sight seeing and exploring towns in summer, the last thing you need is something with an uncomfortable heel or something hot and sweaty. I know sneakers are very popular especially if you have to do any hiking-type walks, but for those long afternoon-to-evenings in town where you go for an aperitivo and then walk around the city taking in the sights, it’s nice to feel a little dressed up sometimes and so I wanted our shoes to maintain both the comfort needed and the aesthetic.
For the Palermo wedge, I wanted an upper design that looked delicate, because the structure and shape of the wedge sole is already quite casual and can look less dainty on the foot. I also loved the pebble texture on it as it gave it more of a vintage feel, and decided it needed to come in the staple summer colours (which also coincidentally became the colours of the Italian flag!)
Then for the Taormina, I wanted to have a cute and playful flat that made me think of running around the seaside eating gelato, because isn’t that the heart of summer? And of course nothing quite said that more than a quaint little bow on top of an open toe upper, and in pastels!
Were there any challenges in the creation of these styles?
The biggest challenge, in honesty, was the selection of colours! I could have made them both with any assortment of palettes and loved them all, but I also wanted to keep the capsule collection small and special, so it was a tough time figuring out which final colours to eventually go with.
How do these shoes fit compared to other brands? Do they run true to size?
The Palermo wedge fits like our other wedges, which is to say they have a slightly shorter sole and a very generous, wide toebox. We recommend this for those with wide feet and it’s very accommodating.
As for the Taormina flat, they fit like our other flats, which is mostly true to size with a slightly larger fit at the toebox versus mainstream fashion flats.
Generally we recommend taking your normal flats/heels size – never use your sneaker or boots size because those shoe types are fitted differently. So if you’re a 38 in every other shoe, our 38 should be right for you as well. The toeboxes of our shoes do fit slightly larger overall, so if you’re a half size, definitely choose the size down.
Have you made any improvements in comfort or support with this collection?
Something that we’ve done with this collection and will be implementing across our whole range is the introduction of heel padding which helps cushion the back heel.
What materials are used in these shoes, and why did you choose them?
For the Palermo, we decided on a faux leather material as we had many vegan customers ask for a wedge that catered to their needs (our only other wedge is leather with the exception of 1 colour).
For the Taormina, we decided on leather.
How would you style these shoes for different occasions?
For me personally, I love the Palermo wedge for day time activities. It goes nicely with anything from shorts (especially a 1940’s high waisted cut!) to skirts, and even jeans or trousers if it’s not so hot.
For the Taormina, it’s definitely a flat I would whip out when I want to dress up a little more in the summertime, particularly if we’re out in the evening and we know we’ll be doing a little ‘due passi’ after dinner (a little walk after dinner).
How should customers take care of these shoes to keep them looking great?
Definitely air dry them after use, especially if you sweat a lot. I’d recommend wiping them down with a damp tissue if they’ve picked up dirt and debris on your walks, and store them away from direct sunlight and humidity if you can. Wearing them every so often also helps to maintain them as it keeps the material soft and malliable.
Where can customers buy them, and do you ship internationally?
They can find them directly at our website www.charliestoneshoes.com – and yes we ship worldwide, now for free too!
Are there any launch promotions or special discounts for this collection?
Yes! We’re taking preorders now with dispatch expected around the first week of April, so until the 7th of April, you can use the code SICILIA to get 10% off!
Finally, what’s next for Charlie Stone?
Some of our long term customers may have noticed we recently changed our logo and refreshed our website and overall look a bit. Lately I felt that I and our customers have outgrown the ‘old’ Charlie Stone, which was more playful, kinetic and steeped in that fun and flashy 1950’s culture. Now being in my mid-30’s (and seeing that many of our customers have also reached this age group with me), I felt like it was time that Charlie Stone matured aesthetically to match where we are at, in terms of both practical needs and fashion-wise. Our mission and vision remains the same – to create elegant but comfortable shoes that enable women to embrace their authentic selves within the vintage aesthetic. The only difference is now we will work on crafting shoes to suit our more mature taste and demanding lifestyles.
