LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Shoes backstage ahead of the Peter Pilotto show during the London Fashion Week February 2017 collections on February 19, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Getty Images)
Unusual footwear
Hot on the heels of clear bags, we have another trend that includes more clear material. I figured we could just lump together all of the unusual shoes that made an appearance for 2019 that aren’t Dr. Martens.
One motif was footwear made with PVC. Big names like Balmain, Marc Jacobs, and Mary Katrantzou used the material. I love how Marc Jacobs paired dark sparkly tights under clear heels so that the shoe almost appeared to take on the same effect. However, I think that Alexa Chung showcased my favorite version, creating a more upscale version of jelly sandals – another play off of nostalgia. This goldenrod color with jeweled toe, perfectly matched the dreamy dress, satisfied my love of fancy-meets-casual.
Marc Jacobs also lead the way in his same collection with bows. While his take felt more sculptural, Peter Pilotto’s were that of Old Hollywood silver screen dreams – open-toed and satiny. On different plane was Zimmermann, with shoes with bows, that had an almost cartoon – or silly string – quality.
Not to be outdone, feathers were big for 2019, including on shoes. I pretty much can’t bring myself to look through photos of this trend without gagging. Plenty of designers violated my eyeballs. The only example I’ll point out is Valentino, who I typically love, and who did try to make the feathers as tasteful as possible. But there was the head-scratching decision to affix them to the back of ugly sandals. And please explain why a perfectly good pair of espadrilles needs feathers.
The final unusual shoe trend that I’ll call out is sneakers. Apparently, there’s been a trend of ugly “dad” sneakers, and that will continue. I’ll spare the offenders. I don’t wear sneakers, but I guess I’m jealous that you all are so comfortable.