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| Dr. Tina Alster in an Azzedine Alaia knit dress and booties, and a vintage Prada sweater |
For Dr. Tina Alster, renowned local physician and founding director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery, life is all about aesthetics, whether helping her patients look their best or creating an interior space that reflects her own idea of beauty. Her life’s work has positioned her at the top of just about every notable “Best” list in the world of cosmetic surgery and dermatology, with awards and leadership positions too numerous to cite—but which include roles as consulting dermatologist to Lancôme and appearances on Oprah, Today and 20/20.
Alster’s Washington home, designed by architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen, is clean and achingly chic. Her walk-in closet is a marvel of engineering ingenuity, with several sliding rows of cubbies for her enviable—and color-coordinated—shoe collection, a portion of which can be seen above. (Favorites include Lanvin, Givenchy, Michel Perry, Roger Vivier and Bottega Veneta.) “I hardly wear Jimmy Choos, Manolo Blahniks or Louboutins anymore because they lack individuality,” says Alster, in a testament to her unique style. She shops everywhere but says her best finds are from Paris, New York City and DC’s Hu’s Shoes.
Her dressing area is loaded with mementoes, from an award-winning photo taken by her 15-year-old son (#1) to collectible Line Vautrin silver boxes (#2), her standard-issue (and alwaysat- the-ready) lab coat (#3) and a favorite Chanel lacquer evening bag (#4). A Hope II glass sculpture (#5) by Marc Petrovic adds a dash of gallery perfection, while the positioning of the shoes suggests a closely examined fragment of a Chuck Close painting: Squint, and the boxes of color conjure a cohesive design—a snippet of a vibrant city block, perhaps, and most definitely footwear nirvana. It is a dream closet come to life, filled with the beauty and pristine perfection of a modern Washington woman who has the world by the tail—and the shoes to match.
