I LOVE Alexandre Birman. Last fashion week, I had the pleasure of meeting the Brazilian footwear designer at the store opening of his new contemporary shoe label, Schutz. This season the designer was in town for a special evening at Saks Fifth Avenue for the debut of his spring 2013 collection for namesake high-end label, Alexandre Birman. Mr. Birman personally helped guests shop the collection (including actress Kelly Rutherford who made a surprise appearance) and signed shoes purchased at the event.

Infamous for his work with exotic skins, we saw a lot with snakeskin in this collection. The moment he entered the event and spotted me holding his cobalt sandals with the intricate cutouts at the ankle, he came over to