Ioli: Stride in Style
by Faye Davies
Dragon slayers’ convention? First dinner with a prospective mother-in-law? If you’re the kind of girl who likes to have the perfect footwear for every occasion, Ioli might just save your life. Because this is the only place I know in the world, let alone Madrid, where you get to design your own shoes.
Walk into this tiny boutique in the heart of Malasaña and you face a back wall stacked with rainbow-coloured leather, and fabric featuring every pattern from classic gingham to golden flies. When you’ve achieved the daunting task of settling on a tonal combination, you choose – with the help of some plastic models – your heel.
Whether the end result is a pair of funky pumps or foxy stilettos, your next challenge will be to resist commissioning a handbag and gloves to match. You could always treat your boyfriend to a trip to the recently opened men’s shop just around the corner on C/ San Andrés instead.
Yeah, like that’s going to happen.
Open Mon-Sat 11-14:30, 17:30-21:00. Tel: 91 521 00 22. Shoes from around 160€
Metro Tribunal. Calle Espiritu Santo, 1. See map below:
Comments
Comment from Faye
Date: November 6, 2007, 3:02 pm
Not sure. They’re pretty cagey about quoting prices over the phone, but if I’m passing I’ll try and find out.
Watch this space…
Comment from marina
Date: November 14, 2007, 7:32 pm
I’d love to pay a visit to this shop, but I’ll make sure that I forget my purse at home;-)
Comment from PattyN
Date: November 15, 2007, 7:51 pm
I´m in Madrid now, will try to stop in on the 26th or 27th when I have some free time. It will be the end of my vacation, so maybe I won´t have too much money to spend. 
Comment from Faye
Date: November 16, 2007, 2:44 pm
I passed the men’s shop today. Pre-made shoes are 150€, while designing your own will set you back 175€. They are exquisite though – a pricey bargain.
Btw, orders take up to 10 days.
Comment from PattyN
Date: November 30, 2007, 2:06 am
Yup, I stopped by on Tuesday and got a gift certificate for someone. They were very accomodating, as the transaction took quite awhile since my Spanish was about as good as the store clerk’s English. We managed.
Pingback from Madrid Neighbourhoods: Malasaña – Still Putting the Mad in Madrid? – Notes from Madrid
Date: March 18, 2008, 2:01 pm
[...] Shopping: One of Malasaña’s main arteries, C/ Corredera Alta de San Pablo heaves with everything from wool (at no. 12) to state-of-the-art trainers (Tabula Rasa, at no. 33); while on nearby streets, quirky boutiques like Ioli (bespoke shoes) and Corachan y Delgado (vintage designer clothes; C/ Valverde 42) are popping up all the time. C/ Manuela Malasaña is great for gifts, and C/ Palma is the street for record shopping. [...]
Comment from PattyN
Date: November 6, 2007, 1:41 pm
Hi Faye
Seriously, what would be the price range for a pair of men’s shoes? Similar to the women’s? This sounds like a fun place.