She attended
Cornell University in New York, where she graduated with a degree in Fine Arts and Architecture. After graduation, she launched her first shoe line in 1987.[4]
As of 2019, Noel served on the board of Hanover Charities.[6]
Career
Designer
Early in her career, Noel was known to draw the inspiration for her shoes from her architectural background, and has said, “I view my shoes as sensual art objects. I create them to be both an individual sculpture and a natural, elegant extension of a woman’s leg.”[7] Her shoes are in the collections of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the
Museum of Fine Arts in
Boston, MA.[8][9]
Noel is the sole designer for her label. She regularly travels to Italy,[10]India and
Kashmir,[11] to work with various artisans. The shoes she produces use products only from Italian tanneries. These tanneries create exotic skins and furs, such as sable, python, and alligator.[12] She also supports the organic and free trade industries, using eco-friendly materials.[13] Her collections are handcrafted in
Milan, Italy, with each style produced in limited editions.[14]
In 1988, she designed a pair of satin pumps encrusted with 177.85 carats of rubies, which she sold in her store for $15,000.[15] The Vanessa Noel label also encompasses bridal shoes, men's footwear, cashmere shawls, and other accessories.[16]
In 2004, Noel debuted the stretch alligator boots that became her signature. The boots appeared on
Kim Cattrall in the Sex and the City movie in 2008.[17]
In 2015, Vanessa Noel launched her first handbag collection and her first fragrance named Stiletto in the form of a scented candle.[4][18]
Noel introduced her couture bridal collection in 1990, which was sold in her own boutique as well as at
Bergdorf Goodman[27] and
Neiman Marcus.[28] Shortly after the collection's launch, Noel designed a pair of shoes for
Mariah Carey's wedding to
Tommy Mottola in 1993.[29] Noel's bridal collection was well-received,[30] and
Vera Wang asked Noel to do her first collection of bridal shoes.
In 1994, Noel opened her second boutique[31] in
Nantucket, Massachusetts, where she spent her childhood summers, and her boutique was the first New York boutique to open a location on Nantucket Island.[32]
In 1998, Noel designed a collection for
C. Z. Guest, inspired by Guest's love of gardening.[33] The limited-edition CZ by Vanessa Noel collection was sold at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus stores.[34]
Noel opened her flagship boutique on East 64th Street in October 2004. She designed the nearly 2,000-square-foot space herself.[35]
Vanessa Noel Hotel
In the summer of 2002, Noel became the first American designer to own her own hotel with the launch of the Vanessa Noel Hotel. Also, the first boutique hotel in
Nantucket,[36][37] the VNH is home to a Vanessa Noel shoe boutique and the Café V bar, where Noel titled the menu “How to Look Good in Your Shoes” and offered high-end food.[38] Noel opened her second hotel, Nantucket's first, and still only as of 2013, boutique hotel, the Vanessa Noel Hotel Green.[39]
Philanthropy
Hanover Charities
In the years 2005, 2010, 2012, and 2017, Noel chaired the Hanover Charities Sugarcane Ball, a fundraising event that is held annually at
Round Hill in Jamaica. In 2017, Vanessa Noel, along with Hanover Charities, helped raise a record amount of $474,360 to assist individuals and institutions in the parish.[40] She also holds a Jamaican-themed fundraising event in her shoe boutique before the Sugarcane Ball to raise money for Hanover Charities.[41][42][43]
Oceana
Noel became an
Oceana Council member in 2010 and regularly chairs fundraising events for the organization.[44] Noel also designed a special edition Oceana shoe that was auctioned on
Charitybuzz with proceeds benefiting the organization.[45]
Kipton Art Foundation
In 2010, she became a Vice Council Member of the Kipton Art Foundation, which works to provide artists with
stipends to produce their work and to promote up and coming artists.[46]
Other charitable contributions include:
The Princess Grace Foundation
Community Research Institute "Heart & Soul" Benefit Committee Member (1990)
The Fashion Center NYC Bid for Kids Designer Committee Member (1997)[47]
VP of the East 64th Street Block Association (2009)
^"Special Services with a Personal Touch." New York Magazine, February 14, 1994: 74. Web.
^Ahern, Nichole B. "An Insider's Guide to the Islands." Boston July 2002. Web.
^Churchman, Lee. "Designing Woman: Bryn Mawr Native Vanessa Noel's Designs for Shoes Keep Feet Both Fashionable and Comfortable." Main Line Life [Bryn Mawr] 1994. Print.