By Isabelle Nguyen

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought I’d write an ode to the shoe we all grew up wearing… Mary-Janes! Synonymous with fashion houses such as Miu Miu and Chanel, Mary-Janes have found their way into everyone’s wardrobe due to their functional and sleek, but casual appearance. Wear them with jeans at work during the day or wear them with a mini dress and tights for the night – the fashion possibilities are endless.

The history behind these iconic shoes is adds to its charm. First, know that ‘Mary-Jane’ is an American word for a shoe with a strap across the front. Its origins are related to a popular comic strip by Richard Felton Outcault called Buster Brown. In the comic, Buster Brown is a young 19th-century boy who is always getting into trouble with his girlfriend, Mary-Jane (which also happened to be the name of Outcault’s daughter). In 1904, Outcault sold licenses for companies to use Buster Brown characters to advertise their various products. Thus, The Brown Shoe Company used images of Buster Brown and Mary-Jane to market children’s shoes. This strategy was so successful that soon all shoes with a strap across the front became known as ‘Mary-Janes.’

Following the death of Karl Lagerfeld in 2019, the new creative director of Chanel, Virginie Viard, paid tribute to the timeless look that Lagerfeld loved so dearly. Every model walking in her spring/summer 2022, 47-look couture presentation at the Grand Palais in Paris sported simple black and white Mary-Janes.

Another advocate of the Mary-Jane is a popular British model and fashion designer, Alexa Chung. Chung is known to sport Carel Mary-Janes which feature a modern triple strap and low heel, making her outfits look effortless and chic.

And if you love Emily in Paris like me, you may have noticed variations of the Mary-Jane making an appearance. From strolling through the streets of Paris to breaking up with your French chef boyfriend, Mary-Janes are here to stay!

Carel is consistently sold out of their Bouton black patent leather Mary-Janes that they advertise as the shoes “spotted on Emily in Paris.” Adding to the hype, Camille Razat, also known as Camille in the show, has become the face of Nodaleto’s new campaign following her iconic breakup scene with Gabrielle in which she wore black Nodaleto Bulla Babies (platform Mary-Janes). This is your sign to join in on the fun… get yourself a pair of Mary-Janes!