ALL REVVED UP; DESIGNER PASSIONS : TWO THINGS DRIVE GUNMETAL'S GEORGE GUBLO AND MICHAEL SPAULDING CRAZY -- ASIDE FROM SHOES, THAT IS -- CLASSIC CARS AND VINTAGE BOATS.

Footwear News, July, 2005 by Baran, Michelle

Byline: Michelle Baran

A near-obsession with good design motivates some shoemakers in unexpected ways.

"This will be my car one day. I've just got to sell more of these," says Michael Spaulding, holding up a classic peep-toe pump from the Gunmetal resort collection he codesigned with George Gublo, "to buy one of these."

The photo in his other hand is that of a 1955 BMW 507, a low, sleek two-door convertible with a gracefully curved, elongated hood and chrome detail. But it's the color of the car that is significant: gunmetal gray, the inspiration for the name of their ultra-chic, high-end women's footwear collection, sold for $495 and up at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Saks. "It's so sexy. When is a car like this going to go out of...