Steve Madden shoes have been the benchmark of East Village chic for almost 10 years. Madden began by selling his designs out of the back of a rented limo, and opened his first store in New York's SoHo in 1993. Within a year, his first designs were seen on the feet of the SoHo artsy/edgy-ites, celebrities like Sarah Michelle Gellar and Carmen Elektra, as well as the well-heeled tootsies of tri-state teens looking for something that was both cool and ladylike to wear to bat mitzvahs and confirmations.

Bumpy toe boxes and thick chunky heels were the original signature look of his designs. He single-handedly breathed fresh life into the long dead Mary Jane, by coupling the modest schoolgirl look with a thick-soled heel and a bumped-up toe-box. The 1950s design suddenly no longer looked quaint, but rather, managed to convey both sweetness and danger. Needless to say, it was a hit.

He had similar success with wedges and, most ironic of all, the platform combat boot. Many of his designs now feature more streamlined and classically elegant designs. However, even the swankiest slippers have that signature edginess to them, a subtle suggestion that the wearer is not quite buying into square-box femininity.

Though the foundation of his success was built on the shoes he designed for women, his men's line feature stand-out footwear that pairs style with durability. Steve Madden shoes for men emphasize length of line, with a neat and elegant square finish. The new season of shoes from Mr. Madden do seem more grown up than the first designs he created, but they've relinquished none of their delightful tongue-in-cheek irreverence.