At the Chateau Marmont on Monday evening, we found ourselves asking the question: is there anything Nadia Lee Cohen can’t do? Most recently, the British photographer shot Rihanna for our Spring issue cover (and last year, of course, she lensed Lana Del Rey in our most-read story of 2023). But earlier this week, Cohen was fêted for a different kind of endeavor: a capsule collection with the Italian footwear brand Paris Texas, with whom she shares an enduring creative partnership. As the beats of DJ Arman Naféei blared through Penthouse 64, guests like Troye Sivan and Paris Texas founder and creative director Annamaria Brivio celebrated the launch of two new shoes crafted, of course, in the finest leather you can find, including a thigh-high boot and a sexy mule, each available in white, red, brown, and black. At the party, our editor-in-chief Mel Ottenberg tracked down Nadia to ask the question on everybody’s lips: “Why a mule?” As he found out, there’s a good story behind it.
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NADIA LEE COHEN: Hello.
MEL OTTENBERG: Hey, Nadia. Thank you for doing this call with me to talk about your Paris Texas collaboration.
COHEN: Thank you for calling me.
OTTENBERG: You’re welcome, Nadia. Is this your first time designing a shoe?
COHEN: It’s my first time designing a shoe. It might be my last time designing a shoe. I think I’ll only do one shoe in my life.
OTTENBERG: It’s hard.
COHEN: There’s two styles. It’s really minimal. But there’s different colors.
OTTENBERG: There’s a red go-go boot and a slingback, right?
COHEN: There’s a pointed cowboy boot and a mule.
OTTENBERG: And what colors does the cowboy boot come in?
COHEN: It comes in red, black, brown, white. And then there’s the exact same color for the mules, because they’re the best colors to have shoes in, I think.
OTTENBERG: Paris Texas makes sexy shoes.
COHEN: They do make sexy shoes. Everybody wears their shoes. People that you wouldn’t expect to wear their shoes wear their shoes. You either want to do a good job, or you don’t.
OTTENBERG: Why a mule, Nadia?
COHEN: Well, it’s always a mule for me. When I first came to America, I was going around all the Goodwills in Palm Springs and I found this pair of white mules that were my favorite ever. And I wore them all the time because they make your legs look longer because there’s no ankle shit going on. So I wore them and wore them and wore them and they got fucked up. I must’ve repaired them, I don’t know, 10 times or something, which is way too many because I could never find that shoe again. So I basically just made that shoe so I didn’t have to repair the other ones again.
OTTENBERG: That’s beautiful. And is it going to do the trick?
COHEN: I hope so. There’s enough here that could last me a lifetime. Also, the boot.
OTTENBERG: Wait, did you say if you made them in white?
COHEN: Yeah, they’re in white. It’s the same shoe.
OTTENBERG: I like the boot in white. It’s very go-go boot, Nancy Sinatra cowboy.
COHEN: It’s very Nancy Sinatra, but they have this long toe. I hate when a boot is stumpy and it cuts off too short and you look like you’re going to tip over.
OTTENBERG: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
COHEN: It’s the perfect boot. It’s a high cowboy boot, it doesn’t have a flat heel, it’s got height. So you are tall and a cowboy, or girl.
OTTENBERG: I love it. What was the process of designing these shoes? Did they send you some and you were like, “No, it’s got to be like this…”
COHEN: It was so easy. The boot was perfect when it arrived. There was hardly anything to change. Actually, the height of where it comes up on the leg, because that has a big effect on how long you look. And with the other ones, the problem was the toe came out of the side and that is illegal. Now, the toe is contained. It was very easy.
OTTENBERG: The toe is now contained. If I remember correctly, because I just saw them on Instagram this morning, the boot isn’t too tight at the top. It’s got some room. Because I think it can be a little too goody goody if the boot is too skin tight on the leg.
COHEN: Exactly. It’s loose. Which also means that you can wear it if you have a bigger calf. Sometimes, when I put on a boot, you can’t even put it all the way up.
OTTENBERG: Right, right, right.
COHEN: I mean, as a stylist, you want to be able to put it up.
OTTENBERG: Yeah, I love it. There’s a party tonight. I’ll see you at the party?
COHEN: There’s three parties. There’s so many parties this week.
OTTENBERG: We have three parties to see each other at this week. But I’m never going to be sick of you though, Nadia.
COHEN: By Saturday, you’re going to hate me.
OTTENBERG: No, no, no. I’m not going to hate you. So wait, you have a book coming out. You also photographed the cover of Interview Magazine, but everyone knows that.
COHEN: Which is the highlight of the year so far. And the book is already out. It came out in Japan and we sold out. But we have 50 copies left and on Friday we’re having a block party opposite Chateau at Arman’s Kiosk. And there’s going to be 50 left there.
OTTENBERG: Wait, should I have some Interview Magazines there?
COHEN: Yes, a hundred percent.
OTTENBERG: I think that might be a good idea.
COHEN: There’s other shit in the kiosk as well, like Japanese records and stuff, so that would be so cool. Bring them. Do you know Arman?
OTTENBERG: No, but I’m on it. What color shoe are you wearing to your Paris Texas party at the Chateau Marmont tonight?
COHEN: Well, they said that they want the pictures in black and white, so there’s no point in wearing color. So I’m wearing black.
OTTENBERG: Hot.
