It’s time to ditch that worn-out pair of winter boots and put your fur-lined loafers in storage. From Moroccan-style babouches to Seventies clogs, via an unexpected update on the classic ballet pump, get ready to read up on the shoe trends that will put a spring in your step.
Sliced loaf
Instagram: @gucci
The catwalks may have been awash with fantastically feminine gowns at the Paris Couture shows, but fashion editors' feet were telling a different story, namely, androgynous casual-chic. Indeed, an early front-runner for the most lust-worthy shoe of spring is the Gucci pearl-encrusted, fold-down-heel loafter, or sliced loaf. It says, 'I may wear Gucci loafers but see how I kick back my heels!' But if, as we suspect, the Guccis are on wait-list lockdown, there are some great alternatives, both high end and high street. We'd go as far as to call them the best thing since sliced bread...
Clogs
From exquisitely embellished styles at Alexander McQueen to chunky, sportier versions in neutral tones at Stella McCartney, the clog was the sleeper trend of the spring-summer shows. Naturally, this Seventies-referencing shoe shape also made an appearance at Gucci’s geek chic S/S’16 show, and has since been seen on the feet of fashion risk-takers like Florence Welch and Dakota Johnson.
Babouche
Named after traditional Moroccan shoes, the babouche is a flat, slipper-like style with an exaggerated point at the toes. As with most trends, it all started with Céline, when Phoebe Philo featured a buckled version in her Resort 2016 collection. Brands like Victoria Beckham, Opening Ceremony and Narciso Rodriguez have followed suit, jumping on the babouche bandwagon and offered up their own twist on the style for their pre-fall collections.
Buckle straps
Instagram: @laurencedacadeparis
The single-strap Mary Jane might have been big news for A/W’15, but now there’s a new shoe on the block, and it’s got straps to spare. We first spotted these multi-buckled beauties in cult shoe brand Laurence Dacade’s S/S’16 collection, and with on-trend takes popping up at Kurt Geiger, Topshop and Aldo too, it seems like this is very much a trend with legs. Whether you prefer a towering stiletto, a chunkier style or an 'inbetweener' midi heel, it's easy to make the trend work for you.
Mules
Instagram: @mansurgavriel
We have two words for you: Mansur Gavriel. The 'it' accessories brand behind some of the most sought after bags of recent seasons (you'll have seen their bucket bag draped across the arm of every fashion editor, well, ever) sent the fashion world into meltdown with the announcement of its first ever shoe line. The standout style from the debut collection is the mule, with the backless, slip-on style reimagined in pastel suede. If you've missed out on the waiting list, or you're after something a lot less minimalist, there's always Gucci. Alessandro Michele sent models down the runway wearing ornately heeled mules (think carefully crafted snakes coiled around the heel) at his S/S'16 show.
Block heel pumps
Instagram: @topshop
With its sensible squared-off toes and equally practical low heel, the ladylike pump is an unexpected - but not unwelcome - trend in a fashion landscape that often values aesthetics over comfort. Way cooler its much-maligned cousin, the kitten heel, and far more flattering than its slightly, erm, flatter sibling, think of it as the ballet pump 2.0. This is a trend that the high street has embraced wholeheartedly - snap up a pair of Topshop's Junos before they inevitably sell out...
Slippers
Instagram: @balenciaga
Good news for flats fans – the humble slipper has had a high fashion makeover for spring. For his final collection as creative director at Balenciaga, Alexander Wang sent models padding down the runway in delicate, wispy backless styles with a barely there sole, while brands like Lacoste and Acne offered up chunkier, more utilitarian versions of the lazy girl’s shoe of choice.
Flatform sandals
Instagram: @burberry
This season’s flatforms are a near relation to the Zuckerberg-chic pool slides you obsessed over a year or so back, but with a twist. Thanks to a thick crossover strap in leather, raffia or canvas, the new flatform is less Silicon Valley start-up, more sensible-but-stylish Brit abroad. Whether you opt for embellished raffia platforms, as seen at Tommy Hilfiger, or Burberry-esque straps decked out in heavy gold hardware, this is one of spring’s most varied and wearable shoe styles.
Trainers
Instagram: @stellamccartney
It’s fair to say that fashion has firmly embraced the trainer. It’s largely thanks to our normcore hangover, but these days even heels devotees like Victoria Beckham wouldn’t baulk at wearing boxfresh Stan Smiths. If your budget can’t stretch to Chanel kicks (aka. the most Instagrammed trainers of the moment), look out for high street versions in black and white. Not a fan of monochrome? Give a nod to Stella McCartney’s futuristic silver trainers and seek out a metallic pair.
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