Woman who hid $1m shoe collection from her husband in 'secret room' during divorce scandal to launch her own footwear line

  • Beth Shak is a professional poker player who earns hundreds of thousands of dollars per tournament
  • The 42-year-old owns 1,200 pairs of shoes, including 700 Christian Louboutins

PUBLISHED: 11:58 EST, 17 September 2012 | UPDATED: 12:48 EST, 17 September 2012

A professional poker player who owns 1,200 pairs of designer shoes, including 700 pairs of Christian Louboutins, is starting her own lower-priced footwear line.

Beth Shak, whose own shoe collection is valued at nearly $1million which she keeps in a password-protected closet, has decided to bring her love of heels to the masses, pricing her newly designed shoes between $160 and $190.

The 42-year-old told the New York Post: 'My almost-18-year-old daughter wasn’t happy having a mom that traveled and was gambling. She kept saying, "Why don’t you design a shoe line?" and one day I was like, "You know, she’s right."'

Collector turned designer: Beth Shak, whose own shoe collection is valued at nearly $1million, has decided to bring her love of heels to the masses, pricing her newly designed shoes between $160 and $190

Collector turned designer: Beth Shak, whose own shoe collection is valued at nearly $1million, has decided to bring her love of heels to the masses, pricing her newly designed shoes between $160 and $190

Earlier this year, Ms Shak's ex-husband, former New York hedge-fund manager Daniel Shak, sued her over her shoe accumulation, claiming she failed to disclose their value in their divorce.

The case was dropped however after his claim that he had never noticed her vast collection because of its 'secret room' location in their home in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

 

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At the time, Ms Shak said with disbelief: 'He is saying he didn’t know the closet in our master bedroom existed'.

The mother of three, who started buying designer shoes in 2004, amassing her enormous collection in just eight years, said she treats herself to a pair of red-soled Christian Louboutins each time she plays a poker tournament.

Shoe fiend: Ms Shak, 42, showed off her jaw-dropping footwear collection on the Today Show last year

Shoe fiend: Ms Shak, 42, showed off her jaw-dropping footwear collection on the Today Show last year

Close up: Ms Shak's Facebook page is plastered with images of sky-high stilettos, from Christian Louboutin (left and middle) to Chanel (right)
Close up: Ms Shak's Facebook page is plastered with images of sky-high stilettos, from Christian Louboutin (left and middle) to Chanel (right)
Close up: Ms Shak's Facebook page is plastered with images of sky-high stilettos, from Christian Louboutin (left and middle) to Chanel (right)

Close up: Ms Shak's Facebook page is plastered with images of sky-high stilettos, from Christian Louboutin (left and middle) to Chanel (right)

One pair of custom-made black leather cowboy boots, once owned by the late Elizabeth Taylor, cost Ms Shak a staggering $7,725 at a Christie’s accessories auction last year.

With 25 sample pairs of her own footwear label already designed and manufactured, Ms Shak is now working on naming them.

One pair is named after her daughter, Lindy, with others labelled the Angelina, the Whitney and the Wendy.

'I essentially named my different shoes after anywhere from iconic women to women that meant something in my life,' she explained. 'The Wendy is for [TV talk-show host] Wendy Williams.'

Hedge fund manager Daniel Shak claims in his lawsuit that his ex-wife concealed from him her enormous shoe collection, which he values at $1million
Beth Shak has long been regarded as a world-renowned shoe aficionado with a passion for Christian Louboutin hills

Messy divorce: Hedge fund manager Daniel Shak (left) accused his ex-wife Beth Shak (right) of hiding from him her 1,200 pairs of designer shoes worth $1million at the time of their divorce

One patent purple slingback heel, called the Elizabeth, will see proceeds go to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, she said.

Her own shoe collection fluctuates because she often gives shoes away to charities, she said.

‘It could go up to 1,400, or down to 1,100,’ she told MailOnline last month. ‘I don’t make a big deal of my philanthropy, but I’m always giving shoes away to charities.’

She recently donated a prized pair of bubblegum pink patent stilettos, made for her by designer Walter Steiger, to support the charity Wish Upon a Hero, on whose board she sits.

Inspiration: Ms Shak's daughter Lindsay (left) told her mother (middle) to start a footwear line

Inspiration: Ms Shak's daughter Lindsay (left) told her mother (middle) to start a footwear line

Ms Shak’s shoes will also have identifying marks, in the hopes that her own label will become as well-known and renowned as the signature red soles of her Louboutins.

She said: 'I have a signature bead buckle on a lot of my shoes that I’ve trademarked.

'On the bottom of each of my shoes... is a chubby little heart, so when you are walking, people can see the blue heart and know it’s one of my shoes.'

She added: ‘I don’t have any training as such, but I’ve always had an eye for things. I can walk into anywhere and I can pick out that piece.’

 

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Wow!!! A lot of haters on here! Good for her! Congrats!!!!

Click to rate     Rating   78

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One or two pairs will be of interest. A couple of pairs will be classic. But unfortunately shoes date quicker than most fashion items. Most of them look dated and horrible.

Click to rate     Rating   32

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so...

Click to rate     Rating   40

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He couldn't have been very observant if he never noticed that she had a different pair of shoes for every outfit. How can she be blamed for that? LOL

Click to rate     Rating   90

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He married a gold digger and this is always outcome. First, she finds the mark, then she has his kids, then comes the divorce!

Click to rate     Rating   79

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You can tell by looking at her what kind of woman she is. Not shocked she ended up divorced.

Click to rate     Rating   65

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To be honest, i would hate to have a collection like this. looks exhausting and it would probably stress me out.

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I own 100+ pairs of shoes... I thought I'd be jealous but I wouldn't wear any of those... well okay maybe one or two pairs... but going by her taste I won't be queing up to see her designs...

Click to rate     Rating   16

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You play poker and have big boobs...people want to look at you nobody cares what you think or design, thats a fact.

Click to rate     Rating   50

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that is a woman with serious issues

Click to rate     Rating   32

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