by Chloé Harris

We try to be faithful to San Francisco, sartorially speaking, and have enjoyed many a local designer dalliance to prove it. But as total fashion whores enslaved to higher style, we confess we have strayed (again and again) in search of more excitement—a New York attitude here, a Parisian accent there—and of a relationship capable of weathering the test of time and trends. Today, we have a big announcement: We are ready to settle down.

To celebrate, we’d like to propose a constitutional amendment to legalize marriage between a woman and a shoe. Or, perhaps a baby step further, marriage between a woman and a whole collection of shoes handcrafted at a family-run factory in Venice. That’s right, we’re talking about hot, polygynous footwear action! A solemate for every outfit! Call it the sanctity of fashion. So, you ask, who is the lucky designer to finally capture our heart in the name of SF? Her name is Martha Davis.

We’ve been courting Davis since Spring 2009, when her first collection caught the fancy of a few of our fashionable friends. We had our first date in the fall, at a style event at Silverman Gallery; and last week, while perusing the racks at Harputs Union, we consummated our love when a glimpse of Davis’ five-strap wedge, in raw-cut pink vacchetta leather, blushed like a whisper of nude flesh from beneath the racks of deep black garments.