“What do you think of this?” Ebenezer Malcolm asked Allegra, brandishing a mock-up of a new corporate ad for Zangari shoes. The tagline read, “Made in America with Italian soul.” The sole of the shoe pictured—a lace-up man’s Oxford—was red, white, and green like the Italian flag.

She wondered if Ebenezer was seriously suggesting they make the shoe soles tri-colored, like the trademark red soles on Christian Louboutin’s shoes.

“See, it’s a play on words, S O UL instead of S O LE.”

“I got it,” Allegra said. She ran the ad’s tag line through her head again a few more times. “I like the slogan, but it seems better suited for summer shoes. Sandals. Slides.”

Ebenezer thought a minute. “You could b...

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