Category: Fashion

When Chris Burke was young, he had big dreams to one day work for Nike. Mission accomplished. Though he now works for Google, his closet is still full of Air Jordans from his time with the swoosh. “Just do it?” Chris did.

Growing up in a family with 10 kids, most of Chris Burke’s sneakers were hand-me-downs from his brothers. While he might not have had the cash for the latest and greatest Air Jordans, he always had an affinity for them. 

   “I remember going to a sleepover in second grade and obsessing over my friend’s pair of Nike Air Flight 89s,” Chris explains. 

   Not only was Chris obsessed with sneakers, he was enamored by the Nike brand as a whole. He grew up near the company’s headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, and spent many Saturdays hanging out on the campus. 

   “I always had a vision and a dream to work for Nike,” Chris says. 

   After graduating from BYU, Chris worked for a few NBA teams including the Utah Jazz before going back to school to get his MBA from Cornell University.  

   Eventually, a job opportunity at Nike emerged and he jumped on it. Chris worked his way up to lead the division managing shoe collaborations with designers and sports legends like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant  — to name a few. 

   “Kobe was my favorite to work with. He always pushed the innovation,” Chris says. “Sometimes his ideas seemed out there initially, but his footwear changed the game.”

   Chris still remembers the pinch-me moment of seeing a stranger walking down the street in a pair of shoes that he had helped bring to the market.

   Today, Chris lives in Highland with his wife, Katie, and their four children. His kids loved the cool factor of dad bringing home shoe samples and prototypes. 

   Three years ago, Chris took on a new role at Google, but he will forever be a die-hard Nike fan. In the Burkes’ new home, there is a 12-foot-by-60-foot room that houses the Nike collection Chris has amassed. They also have some of Chris’ favorite pairs on display at the entrance to their sport court. Second-grade Chris would be on cloud nine. 

   One thing that has been fun for Chris to observe both personally and professionally is the emergence of shoe culture. 

   “Decades ago, most people had a pair of sneakers, their daily shoes and then dress shoes,” Chris says. “There wasn’t much crossover. Today, anything goes. And as a society, we also pay more attention to what NBA stars and influencers are wearing these days; they have played a massive role in redefining high fashion and street wear trends.” 

   Gameday fits are a thing, and the sneakerhead era has never been stronger — and Chris is eternally grateful to have played a role in it!

Charity Reid lives in a world of dance — literally. After auditioning for the World of Dance TV show when she was only 17, she gained a name for her talent and now has a closet full of custom costumes that tell her story.

Ballroom dance is known for its glitzy costumes, and Mapleton’s Charity Reid has been wearing them since she was only 5. The professional dancer was raised in Springville where her mom owns Charisma Dance Studio. Charity’s big break as a dancer was when she auditioned for the World of Dance television show at only 17. 

   After sending in a video audition with her ballroom partner Andrés Penate, she was invited by producers to come out to California for more auditions. Charity and Andrés made it to the final round of the show and ended up winning their division. They also earned the first ever perfect score in the show’s history.

   One of the most fun and novel parts of dancing on TV is the opportunity to wear incredible custom costumes. 

   “The seamstresses are so talented,” Charity says. “They come in with raw fabrics and are able to construct the most amazing things. And they do it incredibly fast.”

   Those costumes then go back into the show’s collection and are reworked and refashioned for the next production.

   Performing in front of a live audience, with millions more watching on TV, requires a huge amount of confidence. Years of intense training makes this possible, but having an incredible outfit helps in the moment. Throughout the years, Charity has learned what styles help her feel and dance her best.

   “I figured out that costumes with high necklines and long sleeves helped elongate me, so I always try to incorporate that if I can,” Charity says. “We also always add a thin belt to accentuate the waist.” 

   Charity’s signature style made its way into her wedding dress, too! Charity married her husband, Collin Reid, in 2020 and her gown followed the silhouette of all her favorite dance costumes. 

   “I think because I am so used to having dresses tailored to me, I approached buying a wedding dress the same way,” she explains. “I picked something that had a base style I liked and then added long sheer sleeves and a thin belt.” 

   Beyond looking the part, Charity’s costumes also have to allow for intense lifts, jumps and tricks. 

   “One of the most common ballroom dance mishaps is getting your heel caught on longer dresses,” Charity says. “I once wore this beautiful long golden dress that looked so cool, but I was fighting with the hem the entire time!” 

   Another tricky fashion element — buttons. 

   “Whenever I am dancing with a partner, my hair is always getting stuck on their shirt buttons or their cuff links,” Charity laughs. “There was one time we had to hop off stage because I was tangled up in Andrés’ shirt button! So now, we try to remove my partner’s buttons whenever possible.” 

   Who knew a little button could wreak so much havoc? 

   When it comes to her personal style off the dance floor, Charity is a shoe girl. 

   “I am always either in my Nike Air Force 1s or heels,” Charity says. “I’m short and need the height!” 

   Charity met Derek Hough on World of Dance, and he invited her to join him on his first 32-city solo tour. She went on to do many more gigs with Derek and is currently on a break from his latest “Symphony of Dance” tour. 

   When Charity isn’t traveling, the 23-year-old loves choreographing and teaching at her mom’s studio. 

When Stephanie Feild kicks it at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo to support her world champion bareback rider husband, Kaycee, she does it in her Steve Madden or Ariat cowgirl boots — and sometimes a pink silk dress.

Stephanie Feild might spend most of her days running kids around town in sneakers, but inside her closet is a Carrie Underwood-worthy cowgirl boot collection. 

   Stephanie grew up in Montana, and met her husband, Kaycee Feild, at a rodeo in Wyoming. Kaycee is a world-champion bareback rider from Payson and today they live on a beautiful property in Genola with their three children. 

   “Kaycee has been sponsored by Ariat for years and they always send me amazing shoes,” Stephanie says. “They know I love a heel, so whenever they have a boot with some height, I’m all about it.” 

   Kaycee has been on the rodeo circuit for 16 years, and Stephanie has been beside him through it all. When they started attending the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo every year, Stephanie realized what a fun opportunity it was to dress up. The event is like the Super Bowl of the rodeo world, and there are galas and dinners to attend throughout the 10-day event. 

   “It’s always held in Vegas, and because it’s Vegas there is an ‘anything goes’ approach,” Stephanie says. “You see anything and everything!” 

   When Stephanie packs for NFR, she starts by ordering a big haul of options online. Then she invites over her mother-in-law, sister-in-law and one of her close friends to help her choose the winning styles. Stephanie’s daughters, Chaimberlyn and Remingtyn, sometimes offer up their unsolicited opinions.

   “I had this cute feathery pink top I wore one year that they did not like,” Stephanie laughs. “Remi didn’t tell me, but her cousin let it slip.” 

   Her all-time favorite look? The pink satin dress she wore to the opening night of the NFR in 2021. 

   “It was a little more daring than I was used to, but I took a risk and I ended up getting so many compliments,” Stephanie says. “It was a really pretty light pink silk dress with a corset top.” 

   The biggest lesson Stephanie has learned when it comes to fashion is honing in on what makes you feel confident. 

   “I didn’t really know myself and what I liked until I was 25,” she says. “Knowing what you like and feel confident in is key. Don’t overthink it or wear something just because it’s trendy.” 

   While Kaycee just recently retired from professional rodeo this past year, Stephanie will keep looking for opportunities to strut her boot collection.