Match Point

The best combinations in life—gin and tonic, T-shirt and jeans—often involve two entities that, while strong enough to stand on their own, are even better when paired. Add to that list the shoe designer Edmundo Castillo and the handbag maven Tonya Hawkes, who embarked on an unorthodox collaboration for resort 2014.

Best friends since the early ’90s, when Castillo worked at Donna Karan and Hawkes was at DKNY, the two were constantly sharing ideas, so why not, they decided, make it official: Castillo incorporated Hawkes’s signature resin studs and chevron motifs onto his ankle- and knee-height gladiator stiletto sandals, and Hawkes used Castillo’s complementary colored snakeskin for her clutches and handbags. The shoes and bags are sold separately, under their respective labels, but a savvy customer can find a close—if not perfect—match. “We didn’t want them to be attached at the hip,” Castillo insists. “They work great together. And that’s it.”

Castillo: Emanuele Andreis; Hawkes: Beatriz Carnevali; all others courtesy of designers