Hilary Swank’s New Shoes

In Hilary Swank’s next movie, the romantic dramedy P.S. I Love You (opens December 21), the actress plays a thirty-something New Yorker who has to deal with the untimely death of her husband. A peripheral storyline involves the heroine’s out-of-control shoe fetish. The film, accordingly, is peppered with what can best be described as footwear porn. (Shots of her overflowing shelves of Louboutins, Blahniks, etc.) But the most show-stopping shoes in the film are the creation of a designer with a considerably lower profile—a New Yorker by the name of Llorraine Neithardt. A personal friend of the film’s screenwriter and director, Richard LaGravanese, Neithardt makes all her shoes by hand for private clients. They are highly elaborate, tend to be embellished with lace, crystal or beading and sell for as much as $7,500 a pair. (Tori Amos and Marisa Tomei are also customers).