When Tamara Mellons father lent her the seed moneyto start a high-end shoe company, he cautioned her:Dont let the accountants run your business. Littledid he know. Over the next fifteen years, the strugglebetween financial and creative would become one ofthe central themes as Mellons business savvy, creativeeye, and flair for design built Jimmy Choo into a premiername in the competitive fashion industry.
Over time, Mellon grew Jimmy Choo into a billion dollarbrand. She became the British prime ministerstrade envoy and was honored by the Queen with theOrder of the British Empireyet its her personalglamour that keeps her an object of global media fascination.Vogue photographed her wedding. Vanity Faircovered her divorce and the criminal trial that followed.Harpers Bazaar toured her London town house and herNew York mansion, right down to the closets. And theWall Street Journal hinted at the real red meat: the threeprivate equity deals, the relentless battle between thesuits and the creatives, and Mellons triumph againsta brutally hostile takeover attempt.
But despite her eventual fame and fortune, Mellondidnt have an easy road to success. Her seeminglyglamorous beginnings in the mansions of London andBeverly Hills were marked by a tumultuous and brokenfamily life, battles with anxiety and depression, and astint in rehab. Determined not to end up unemployed,penniless, and living in her parents basement underthe control of her alcoholic mother, Mellon honed hernatural business sense and invested in what she knewbestfashion.
In creating the shoes that became a fixture on Sexand the City and red carpets around the world, Mellonrelied on her own impeccable sense of what the customerwantedbecause she was that customer. What shedidnt know at the time was that success would come ata high priceafter struggles with an obstinate businesspartner, a conniving first CEO, a turbulent marriage, anda mother who tried to steal her hard-earned wealth.
Now Mellon shares the whole larger-than-life story,with shocking details that have never been presentedbefore. From her troubled childhood to her time as ayoung editor at Vogue to her partnership with cobblerJimmy Choo to her very public relationships, Mellonoffers an honest and gripping account of the episodesthat have made her who she is today.
As Mellon readies herself for her next entrepreneurialventure, In My Shoes is a definitive book forfashion aficionados, aspiring entrepreneurs, and anyonewho loves a juicy true story about sex, drugs, money,power, high heels, and overcoming adversity.
