Writer, Mother, Breast Cancer/Health Advocate

Erin Hazelton

With a centered approach to living—and thriving—during a pandemic, breast cancer survivor Erin Hazelton is chasing the rainbow at the end of this storm. From podcasts to recipes to her longtime love affair with shoes, her focus remains experiences, people, and the objects that bring her joy.

First of all, how are you doing? 
I'm doing great. I'm alive, surviving these apocalyptic times, and ready for a bunch of phoenixes to rise.
 
If you could send a DM to your younger self, what would it be?
Be kinder to yourself. No one cares as much as you do. Perfect is boring. Listen to yourself and not to others. Do not apologize for who you are... and if someone doesn't like you, don't change yourself to better suit them.

Describe your first memorable shoe-buying experience? Where were you, what did you buy, and how did you feel?
It was the first time I bought myself a pair of Manolos. I was a freshman at NYU and had traveled home to Boston for Thanksgiving, where I was browsing the shoe sale at Neiman Marcus. I feel like Manolos didn't go on sale back then, but there they were- a very ladylike pair in my size. I think they were $250, which seemed both like a steal, and stupidly expensive for a college freshman. When I put my feet into those shoes I felt like a proper grown-up... so I went to the ATM to pull out 12.5 hours of babysitting wages and bought myself my first Manolos. In the end, I barely wore them. They were very lady-who-lunches, and I was an eighteen year-old running around NYC, afraid she'd get them dirty!

How do you feel about being in the first group of women featuring Larroudé?
It's very flattering. I may not have the social media presence of these other ladies, but I am a real woman who loves fashion and collects shoes. I have a background as a fashion writer, so while I have an eye for "form," I like when form also functions in my real life. I choose things I know I'll wear many times, with many different outfits, and will last. If I can find something at a price point that won't cause my husband's eyes to go round with incomprehension if I happen to mention how much I spent, all the better!

What brings you joy lately?
Sometimes I bake things or go for a run just to have an excuse to listen to a podcast. I love listening to Dateline, Hidden Brain, World News Tonight (the next morning), and I've binged most of Wondery's library. "Bunga Bunga" was the latest one I got into. The books that have spoken to me most recently are: Broken People by Sam Lansky, Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino, and I can't stop re-reading Alice Munro's short stories. I also just finished listening to "Luster" by Raven Leilani on Audible. And, yes, shopping brings me joy too. I recently bought a green Khaite dress, a gold choker, and twenty-two dried plant specimens from the artist William Stuart Thornton.

  
What is your secret dream (post-pandemic, of course)?
To have a hand in helping find the cure for cancer, and then to have a glass of champagne at the Ritz in Paris with every single one of my good friends.

Erin Hazelton modeling The Nyx Sandal In Black Suede