Brown Shoe, Television Personality Gretta Monahan Create Gretta Footwear Brand

Brown Shoe, Television Personality Gretta Monahan Create Gretta Footwear Brand

Eight Styles sold out during QVC debut

ST. LOUIS, May 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Brown Shoe Company, Inc. (NYSE:BWS) (http://www.brownshoe.com/) is introducing its newest licensed footwear collection -- GRETTA(TM), a collaboration with style and beauty expert and television personality Gretta Monahan. A weekly staple on The Rachael Ray Show, Monahan was recently named as the new co-host of Bravo network's Tim Gunn's Guide to Style.

Gretta footwear captures the unique fashion perspective inherent in Monahan's dual role of Gretta Luxe luxury boutique owner, which takes her to the front row of European designer runway shows and the ateliers of the designers themselves, and provider of real-world style counsel to women across the U.S. through regular appearances on The Rachael Ray Show. The premiere line of 12 styles of sandals, heels and ballet flats emphasizes trend-right styling like cone heels and peep toes, and comfort features such as soft, flexible materials and insole padding. Each shoe features signature elements selected by Gretta, including a pink-painted bottom made from a special component that prevents scuffing, and metallic hardware embossed with a "G." Monahan appeared live on QVC in May to introduce the spring/summer 2008 shoes, and sold out eight of the nine styles during the one-hour debut.

"While working with Brown Shoe designers to develop the collection, I had one clear focus - fashion that works in real life. My philosophy is that every woman wants to be fashionable, no matter her lifestyle needs or what she is willing to spend," said Monahan. "This collection offers the Gretta consumer key fashion trends that are relevant to her life and personal style, with the comfort she needs and at a price she can understand. While other brands may say that, only Gretta shoes are designed from my firsthand knowledge of what women really want in footwear."

The pinnacle of the collection is the "Rachael," a chic patent peep toe pump named after Rachael Ray. The "Rachael" appeared on the May 6 episode of The Rachael Ray Show, and every member of the studio audience received a pair.

Consumers can also find Gretta footwear beginning this week on a dedicated page at Shoes.com (http://www.shoes.com/gretta), which features style tips from Monahan on everything from apparel to accessories. Other e-commerce sites that will begin carrying Gretta shoes in May include FamousFootwear.com, GrettaStyle.com, QVC.com and Zappos.com. Select Famous Footwear stores will also carry the shoes. Prices range from $39-79 for the spring/summer line.

"At the heart of this brand are Gretta's vibrant personality and desire to share her distinctive fashion perspective with consumers," said Brown Shoe Senior Vice President-Marketing Terri Rawson. "QVC was the perfect choice in launching the brand because television is the primary way Gretta establishes her connection with women, and builds trust with the viewers who have come to count on her style advice over the past two years. Additionally, offering the shoes online at Shoes.com and other sites makes Gretta's style savvy even more accessible to consumers."

A stylist with a celebrity client roster that includes Rachael Ray, Kelly Ripa, Billy Joel and his wife, Katie Lee Joel, Monahan appears weekly as a style and beauty expert on The Rachael Ray Show and will co-host the second season of Bravo's Tim Gunn's Guide to Style. She regularly hosts the "Gretta's Got It" fashion segment on NBC stations in Boston and Miami, and owns a chain of Gretta Luxe luxury boutiques, Grettacole & G Spa salons and spas located throughout the Boston area. Her style empire will expand this month with the new G spa, located at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods.

About Brown Shoe

Brown Shoe is a $2.4 billion footwear company with global operations. Brown Shoe's Retail division operates Famous Footwear, the approximately 1,100-store chain that sells brand name shoes for the family, approximately 300 specialty retail stores in the U.S., Canada, and China under the Naturalizer, Brown Shoe Closet, FX LaSalle, and Franco Sarto names, and Shoes.com, the Company's e-commerce subsidiary. Brown Shoe, through its Wholesale divisions, owns and markets leading footwear brands including Naturalizer, LifeStride, Via Spiga, Nickels Soft, Connie and Buster Brown; it also markets licensed brands including Franco Sarto, Dr. Scholl's, Etienne Aigner, Carlos by Carlos Santana and Hot Kiss, as well as Barbie, Disney and Nickelodeon character footwear for children. Brown Shoe press releases are available on the Company's website at http://www.brownshoe.com/.

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Source: Brown Shoe Company, Inc.

CONTACT: Erin Conroy of Brown Shoe, +1-212-324-4515,
econroy@brownshoe.com

Web site: http://www.brownshoe.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment