Joan and David

started in 1967 by joan helpern and her husband, joan and david specialized in high-fashion women's shoes, although their line also included handbags, accessories, and some clothing. while the standard for a women's shoe was the high heel, helpern stated that she was designing shoes for women who "run through airports". their first pair of shoes were blue and white oxfords. with a strong start as a store-within-a-store at talbot's, joan & david moved on to form 67 retail stores. the couple sold their business to maxwell shoe company, later bought by jones new york.