Anklingtons: The Anti-festival Wellington Boot

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OK, I’m not saying I’m anti-festival, nor am I denying that you’ll probably need a pair of wellies if you’re heading to a festival this summer. But I reckon we all need an antidote to the identikit uniform that magazines and street style pictures tell us we should be wearing to festivals at this time of year. I for one won’t be donning denim cut offs that expose my buttocks, paired with knee high Hunters and long socks (dodgy tan lines, anyone?!) and a crop top when I head to Bestival in September. No, I shall be kitted up in my usual attire of skinny turned up jeans, a zipped up parka, and – what one usually teams with such an outfit – ankle boots.

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Bradwell, £69, hunter-boot.com (BUY ME HERE!)

This post was actually inspired not by festival season at all, but by this rather splendid pair of Hunter Chelsea boots. I spotted them on a girl in the street in Barcelona last month, where it was unseasonably tipping it down with torrential rain. From afar they looked like a lovely smart pair of patent leather Chelsea boots, but she was walking with such confidence through the flooded streets that I figured they MUST be wellies. So I chased after her down the road to take a closer look and this pair above is what I saw.

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Ilse Jacobsen ankle wellies, ilsejacobsen.dk

I’ve been a fan of the ankle wellington – let’s call them ‘anklingtons’ – for a while now, as I own a brilliant pair like these by Danish designer Ilse Jacobsen. You can get much brighter colour options, but I love the plain black with a flash of colour on the sole (mine are black and orange – I’ve written about them before here). I’ve been like the girl in Barcelona when I’ve worn these, as strangers have stopped me in the street to take a closer look!

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Miss Juliette Bottillon boot, £49, Aigle (BUY ME HERE!)

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Chelsea boots, £180, Gucci (BUY ME HERE!)

The great thing about anklingtons is that you won’t feel silly wearing them outside of festival season. They’re smart enough to be a wet weather city boot. You won’t be embarrassed wearing them into a pub when you’ve gone on a country walk. You could even wear them to work, if your office dress code allows, as they look so smart they could pass as being leather. Plus, if the weather is actually warm enough during festival season to get your legs out in a (decent) pair of denim shorts, you’ll get a much better tan than in normal wellies.

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Nicole wellies, £50, Tretorn (BUY ME HERE!)

feminine masculinity

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My love of masculine shoes with a feminine twist started when, aged 18 in 1995, I decided to make my first ever purchase via mail order. Pre-internet, this was a big deal, but living on the Isle of Wight didn’t leave me many options, what with the choice of Island shoe shops starting and ending with Barratts and no school trips to The Tate on the cards in the near future (my friend Jo and I once caused the whole school to miss the train home after a day trip to the art galleries. We were late coming back from High Street Ken, having not visited any art galleries. Naughty).

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Me and my friend Maz in France, 1995. I remember us making a decision to wear lots of pale pink that summer!

Anyway, the shoes in questions were these pink patent loafers from Office. I know, I know. Hideous. But I LOVED them. They were proper shoes that made a grown up sound on the pavement (I’d lived in trainers since roughly 1989) and generated conversation. They fitted in perfectly with my Acid Jazz aesthetic of the time, which consisted mainly of striped vintage tank tops and brown cords. In spite of their indisputable hideousness, I have kept them all these years, though I couldn’t locate them on a trip to the attic this morning (I DID find some black leather Nike Air Max though. Result!). I thought I’d shaken off this penchant for pink masculine footwear, but it turns out it’s still there, lurking at the back of my conscience. Because although I adore masculine styles like brogues, loafers and monk shoes, for me, they always have to have some kind of feminine or modern twist. Otherwise you just feel like you’re wearing school shoes.

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Miista Tess in light pink (BUY ME HERE!)

This rather smashing pair are from a brand I discovered through Susie Lau of Style Bubble fame: Miista. It has a brilliant selection of Oxfords in unusual colours. As well as these in nude (the blue tongue is made from a slightly translucent rubber), there is a floral print pair (here), snazzy gold (here) and the lavender pair below. They’re really well made and lovely and light, and I love the white rubber sole.

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Tess in lavender, £115, miista.com (BUY ME HERE!)

Somewhere you might not usually turn to for shoes is John Lewis, but check out its new Made in England collection. It is a collaboration with Northampton-based shoe-makers NPS (Northampton is to shoe-making what Whitstable is to oysters) and has come up with these rather lovely monks in pink suede. It’s also worth having a look at the brogues in the collection (here).

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Ebury Street monks, £170, johnlewis.com (BUY ME HERE!)

A trend that I think is about to really take off is neon brogues. Grenson has some fabulous fluoro styles lined up for next season, but Robert Clergerie is already doing it. Head to Selfridges for these bright pink or two-tone options.

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Wilmae brogues, £355, Robert Clergerie at Selfridges (BUY ME HERE!)

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Robert Clergerie’s amazing two-tone neon brogues in store at Selfridges

I’ve also found some dusky pink brogues at Anthropologie, and for those who can stretch to a larger budget, Fendi and Fratelli Rossetti have some gorgeous lace-ups available. And if pink isn’t your thing, just look for a feminine touch, like the broderie anglaise-style broguing on Hobbs’ NW3 Oxfords. But it’s worth bearing in mind that pink is only going to be more prevalent in the AW13 collections, so it’s worth investing in the colour now!

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Carmine Oxfords, £158, anthropologie.eu (BUY ME HERE!)

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embossed brogues, £356, by Fendi at mytheresa.com (BUY ME HERE!)

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brogues, £270, Fratelli Rossetti at shoescribe.com (BUY ME HERE!)

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NW3 Millie Derby, £139, hobbs.co.uk (BUY ME HERE!)

 

next season’s styles NOW!

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WARNING: YOU MAY NEED TO REACH FOR YOUR PIGGY BANK AFTER READING THIS POST!

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needlepoint slippers at Penelope Chilvers

I’ve been to loads of press days recently, where brands showcase the shoes you are going to be lusting after next season, so I thought I would share the love and give you a sneak peek at my favourite flat shoes for autumn and winter. And by giving you at least three months’ notice before they hit stores, you’ve got plenty of time to save up! 

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Tabitha Simmons. WANT. EVERY. PAIR.

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pointy loveliness at LK Bennett. Those two-tones are pretty special!

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WOWZAS! Grenson goes neon.

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fairytale flats at Charlotte Olympia

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investment pieces at Russell & Bromley. Amazing double monks.

fashion industry insiders part 3: Susie Lau and her stylish flat shoes

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It’s time for the final instalment of our fashion industry insiders and their flats interviews, and today I’m speaking to fashion blog pioneer Susie Lau. You can read Susie’s brilliant blog Style Bubble here.

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Susie with her fashion correspondent head on at the Kenzo show at Paris Fashion Week

“I do love heels and I love beautiful shoes but I don’t feel the need to wear them all the time.  I’d rather save them for special occasions. I like the contrast flat shoes provide to dressier items of clothing.  I don’t like looking too polished or too “done” so flat shoes kind of alleviate that (as well as giving me the ability to run/walk!).”

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Susie wearing Miista lace-ups. That lovely mini bag is by Furla.

“I like all manner of brogues or chunky flatforms (like creepers) or trainers.  I like to wear them with almost anything.  I don’t really have any hard and fast rules when it comes to flats since my shoe collection is dominated by them.”

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Susie’s ASOS X Antipodium cork loafers (I have the same pair!)

“On the catwalk, I think there’s definitely a reaction against those extreme super high, super stiletto shoes – heels have become more varied – flatter, more square, more sensible and there are extremes when the shoes are completely flat.  I just think it’s about choice and variety.  That a pair of Kenzo Vans can be as fashionable as say a pair of Nicholas Kirkwoods.”

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more Miista action. Love that iridescent shine.

“I’m after a new pair of Ferragamo Vara shoes – a sensible flat with a very short heel.  I also really want a pair of Raf Simons trainers.  They’d be one size too big for me as they’re mens but I don’t really care!”

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amazing fabric on Susie’s A.Sauvage X Dr Martens shoes

Hope you’ve enjoyed hearing from these lovely fashion girls and sneaking a peek at their fabulous flat shoe collections. Thanks so much Alex, Emily and Susie!

industry insiders part 2: interview with Red’s Emily Gegg

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In the second instalment of fashion industry insiders who love flats, I spoke to Emily Gegg, Executive Fashion and Beauty Director at Red Magazine, who was forced off her high heels because of a back problem.

“I was diagnosed with scoilosis and a degenerated disc in my lower spine just before fashion week, so wearing flat shoes was less of a choice and more of a doctor’s order. Now I am two months into my new life in flats and feel strangely liberated, as if I have been let into a secret that heel wearers are yet to discover!!”

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Emily wearing super-shiny Jimmy Choo

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Emily’s Louis Vuitton slippers

“I am quite a scruffy dresser and dressing up for me was always just putting a pair of killer heels on with my jeans and t-shirt to smarten my look up, so I have had to work at creating a new look based around flats. If I am wearing a pair of statement flats like my sparkly Vuitton slippers I’ll tend to dress down the rest of my look, so a pair of ripped jeans and a grey marl T-shirt. But if it is a pair of my new Nike trainers (which I am totally in love with), I tend to wear them with a smarter outfit like a buttoned up white shirt and cashmere jumper to balance the look out (and feel less of a teenager!).”

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how cool are Emily’s Nikes?!

“A lot of the trends on the catwalk for AW13 were about mixing girlie with a tough edge and there is no better way to do this than wearing stylish flats to make your look more understated. Simone Rocha is the perfect example with her whimsical bubblegum pink dresses teamed with chunky flatforms. Even the glamour shoe brands Louboutin and Jimmy Choo have introduced a new kitten heel height and lots more flats for AW13, it is a trend that is catching – hooray!”

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Charlotte Olympia sandals and matching pedicure

“I am excited about the sun coming out, getting a pedi with Essie ‘cute as a button’ and investing in a pair of Valentino studded sandals, although may need to win the lottery first, so more realistically Zara have some amazing flat sandals with braiding detail that I have my eye on. I have too many pairs of shoes but I am a hoarder and can’t throw any away, all those redundant heels mean if I do not have any daughters my goddaughter Poppy is going to have her very own Jimmy Choo archive!!”

Tomorrow, fashion blog pioneer Susie Lau…

industry insiders and their flats: interview with Stylist’s Alex Fullerton

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So…you thought it was just me and you? Think again. Flat shoes are having a moment, in fashion terms, so there’s never been a better time to ditch the heels in favour of something more practical. I spoke to three industry insiders about their love for stylish flat shoes, and will be bringing you their verdicts each day for the rest of this week. First up, and inspiration for this series of posts through her #TheDailyShoe pictures on Twitter and Instagram, Stylist Magazine’s Fashion Director, Alex Fullerton.

“Despite being a fashion director, I keep practicality upmost in my mind at all times. I walk a lot and find it really ungainly to perch in a doorway and change into heels, although I have done it on occasion (who hasn’t?!). Wearing a pair of flats that can take me from breakfast to cocktails – all while looking chic – means I have one less thing to worry about. And one less thing to carry in my bag each day.”

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Alex wearing Marni monk shoes

“I think that people who work in fashion appreciate good shoes, whatever their heel height, so I don’t feel pressure to wear heels although I do love the elevated aspect a good stiletto gives at times. I have a huge array of flats but currently some of my favourites are monk styles, with a buckle over the instep. When I plan my outfits I have to keep proportion in mind as I’m not tall so I often wear my flats with short skirts or slim leg denim. Wide leg trousers or pencil skirts always need a heel on my figure.”

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Alex wearing Bionda Castana pointy monks

“Trends are either a continuation of the mood of the previous season or a total reaction. This season designers wanted to wipe the slate clean of the ridiculous heights we’ve been dealing with recently and start afresh with flats.”

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Alex wearing Chloe boots

“#TheDailyShoe was inspired by @katiejanehughes’ #TheDailyFace on Instagram. She’s a friend and make-up artist and I just thought, why not post pictures of my shoes and those that I’m shooting / find in the fashion cupboard? Shoes always make a cute picture.”

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Alex wearing Givenchy sandals

Tomorrow, Red’s Executive Fashion and Beauty Director, Emily Gegg…

design your own shoes!

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Well it’s been at least a couple of weeks since I last wrote about Grenson on here, so it’s about time for some news from one of my favourite brands, I reckon. Today saw the launch of  the G-Lab pop-up shop in Liberty and I went along to take a look.

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the G-Lab pop-up shop in Liberty

G-Lab is the customisation branch of Grenson, which is in the department store until April 28th (that’s not long, so hurry!). You can choose from loads of different styles and colours to make a pair of shoes that you can say you designed yourself.

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the G-Lab store assistants even wear lab coats! Brilliant.

I wouldn’t know where to start! There are swatches with all sorts of leather available, from gunmetal metallic, to chunky, thick, masculine leather, to bold, bright colours. You can also choose your sole, and regular readers of this blog will know I did at least know that I would have gone for the crepe sole had I been designing a pair for myself!

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an example of what you could design in G-Lab

A nice touch is that you can personalise them too, with a message in the lining of shoe. A brilliant idea if you were buying a pair as a gift for someone. Or if you want to stamp your own name on your precious Grensons! Prices range from £350-£400 and the shoes take around 6 weeks to make. Grenson’s regular line of shoes, starting from £180, are also available in the pop-up shop.

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G-Lab shoe box featuring EnBrogue!

I think my very favourite thing about G-Lab is the shoe boxes though, covered in Instagram pictures from dozens of loyal Grenson owners. Including yours truly! See if you can spot me…