CITYist

Canadian footwear designer John Fluevog places a priority on quality—but isn’t afraid to let his freak flag fly. Similarly, Vancouver and Montreal-based OPUS Hotels make it their job to sit on the precipice between sophistication and quirk. Now the two have teamed up to create the exclusive Porter Shoe—a classic oxford with, naturally, a splash of flamingo pink.

Worn by valets and guest service employees at the hotels, they will be sold in limited batches at John Fluevog stores, as well as featured in OPUS lobbies and on mini-bar menus. Fluevog and John deC. Evans, president of the hotels, mixed children’s paint in order to come up with the playful pink hue. “As we went back and forth,” says Fluevog, “it was clear that the ideal shoe would be sharp, classy and well made, but also have a little bit of cheek.” Now that’s good chemistry.