These days, it’s impossible to keep up with the sneaker hype cycle, never mind every new hugely anticipated drop. It is worth keeping up with broader sneaker trends, though, plus what’s going on with smart shoes. Why? Because change is afoot.
There has never been more technology in our shoes, making footwear more technical and more comfortable at the same time. Smart shoes are getting more casual, while some trainers get dressier. And then there’s the stunning array of designs available today – your footwear lets you communicate your style and your individuality better than almost anything else in your wardrobe.
So what are you wearing? These are the spring-summer footwear trends we’re in step with this year.
The Return Of The Boat Shoe
Boat shoes haven’t been cool for some time. Unfortunately they’ve been tarnished with the ‘posh’ brush, and as any garment associated with old money can relate to, that’s not a good thing. But, continuing with the endless cycle of things coming back in fashion, boat shoes are enjoying a renaissance.
‘Street prep’ isn’t a widely used term, but it perhaps should be. The boat shoe is the footwear of choice for this new style tribe, which has adopted such garments as the rugby shirt, corduroy anything, Oxford shirts and chinos, but executed them in slightly cooler ways. Chinos for example may be purposefully wider of cut.
The boat shoes are slightly different too – they might feature chunky commando soles, or be simplified with less detailing and more of a moccasin feel. The point being you’re more likely to see them on city streets than the deck of a yacht.
Seriously Bold Colours
We’ve always found it easier to slip into colour when the sun is shining. Pastel pink just doesn’t work as well when it’s chucking it down. Its no wonder then that a number of footwear brands are dipping into their archives for a subtle summer reinvention by splashing their classic silhouettes with a welcoming hue.
British high street footwear store Clark has done so with its desert boot and Wallabee shapes (the dreamy clay is particularly striking) while Converse continues to change up its masterly Chuck 70 with more colours than a festival’s glitter booth. Just make sure you temper that colour pop with a neutral colour blocked pair of trousers or shorts.
Sliders Get Smart
Before their return to the vanguard of men’s fashion, sliders were niche, most famously worn by dads with socks in summer for a trip down to the supermarket. The first resurgence of the slider riffed on this bad taste giving pavements a heavy dollop of unabashedly bold styling. But, this year, the sliders have got ideas above their station and have gone all upmarket.
What does this mean for summer’s laziest shoe? Well, for a starter logos have scarpered in favour of little branding beyond a tasteful embossed logo. Whereas previous iterations of sliders embraced wipe clean, mess resistant materials, this year’s best designs utilise suede, pebbled leather and patent leather for a much more grown-up and pared back take.
The results occupy that catch-all mid-ground, adding a bit of slickness to tailored shorts in the daytime and being just about acceptable to wear with linen trousers to a bar (only if you’re in tropical climes, mind).
– Luke Sampson, associate editor
Spring/Summer Footwear Trends 2019 [FashionBeans]