If there is one dominant shoe trend for Spring 2018, it’s not that pumps are back or that boots are comfortable, but that shoes, on the whole, are veering away from sexy and into full jolie laide territory. Consider Demna Gvasalia’s sky-high Croc platforms at Balenciaga—funny, freaky, and not exactly come-hither.
The same could be said for Jonathan Anderson’s curled-toe sneakers at Loewe. In woven leather, the shoes are expertly crafted, but will get you some disbelieving stares on the street. At Christopher Kane, the designer re-upped his own commitment to Crocs, making full shoes out of the rubbery material and adorning them with Swarovski crystal embellishments, while at Céline, Phoebe Philo made orthopedic sneakers look cool, lining them in lilac rubber. All of these shoes are probably comfortable to wear, but when it comes to looks, you have to admit they hardly have the refined elegance of a pair of Manolos.
But maybe that’s the point. As Demna Gvasalia said at Vogue’s Forces of Fashion conference, “I think it’s very interesting, the definition of ugly.
I think it’s also very interesting to find this line where ugly becomes beautiful or where beautiful becomes ugly. That’s a challenge I like. I think that’s a part of what fashion stands for and I like that people think my clothes are ugly; I think it’s a compliment.” In fact, being pretty hasn’t always been considered cool in fashion. Look back to the ’30s in Paris, where rivals Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli were redefining fashion one suit at a time. The former’s corsetless and breezy separates weren’t considered as elegant as a cinched dress, and the latter’s plastic-bug necklaces and rayon eveningwear challenged conventional tastes.
In the ’60s, Cristobal Balenciaga himself popularized the jolie laide model, casting untraditional-looking women for his presentations—so maybe the platform Crocs that walked Balenciaga aren’t too far of a stretch from the founder’s intentions. The point being that in history, it’s the disruptors that are remembered.
So as retailers start placing orders and these odd, unconventional shoes start arriving in stores, you have to wonder, which ugly-pretty shoe will gain the most ground? Personally, I think I could make do with Loewe’s curlicued sneakers in forest green. Worn with the brand’s cuffed jeans and a blazer, they seem almost normcore.
But around the Vogue offices it might be Gvasalia’s Crocs that take the prize. I mean, how else to describe those sunshine yellow Crocs bedazzaled with Balencaiga-branded flair but ugly—and so necessary for your spring look?
source:www.vogue.com
The same could be said for Jonathan Anderson’s curled-toe sneakers at Loewe. In woven leather, the shoes are expertly crafted, but will get you some disbelieving stares on the street. At Christopher Kane, the designer re-upped his own commitment to Crocs, making full shoes out of the rubbery material and adorning them with Swarovski crystal embellishments, while at Céline, Phoebe Philo made orthopedic sneakers look cool, lining them in lilac rubber. All of these shoes are probably comfortable to wear, but when it comes to looks, you have to admit they hardly have the refined elegance of a pair of Manolos.
But maybe that’s the point. As Demna Gvasalia said at Vogue’s Forces of Fashion conference, “I think it’s very interesting, the definition of ugly.
I think it’s also very interesting to find this line where ugly becomes beautiful or where beautiful becomes ugly. That’s a challenge I like. I think that’s a part of what fashion stands for and I like that people think my clothes are ugly; I think it’s a compliment.” In fact, being pretty hasn’t always been considered cool in fashion. Look back to the ’30s in Paris, where rivals Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli were redefining fashion one suit at a time. The former’s corsetless and breezy separates weren’t considered as elegant as a cinched dress, and the latter’s plastic-bug necklaces and rayon eveningwear challenged conventional tastes.
In the ’60s, Cristobal Balenciaga himself popularized the jolie laide model, casting untraditional-looking women for his presentations—so maybe the platform Crocs that walked Balenciaga aren’t too far of a stretch from the founder’s intentions. The point being that in history, it’s the disruptors that are remembered.
So as retailers start placing orders and these odd, unconventional shoes start arriving in stores, you have to wonder, which ugly-pretty shoe will gain the most ground? Personally, I think I could make do with Loewe’s curlicued sneakers in forest green. Worn with the brand’s cuffed jeans and a blazer, they seem almost normcore.
But around the Vogue offices it might be Gvasalia’s Crocs that take the prize. I mean, how else to describe those sunshine yellow Crocs bedazzaled with Balencaiga-branded flair but ugly—and so necessary for your spring look?
source:www.vogue.com