Until recently, what with all of the strong sportswear-inspired collections at the moment, the idea of wearing any form of sportswear outside of the gym was a no-no. So despite Lacoste's ready-to-wear collection, their sports heritage meant that they were never a brand I've ever been particularly drawn to. That all changed recently when images of these bad boys hit my inbox.
The shoes are a part of the brand's S/S12 offerings and were shown during New York Fashion as a part of a special limited edition range to mark Felipe Oliveira Baptsite's debut collection as creative director. Far from being sporty, the shoes are the perfect practical summer shoe, or at least as practical as I'm prepared to go, and the black and tan colours that they come in will no doubt see you from season to season.
For those of you who are a fan of a good sports shoe, don't worry because Lacoste still delivers an assortment of them but the introduction of the new pieces hopefully marks the start of a lot more fashion-led styles to come.
If, like us, you love shoes, then you’ll be savvy and get yourself down to the Browns Shoes boutique today. As it’s their first anniversary, they’re inviting all the fashionable Londoners to join in the celebrations - pure lust for the shoe-lover in you!
Get your pair from a collection of signed, limited-number shoes from Nicholas Kirkwood, Rupert Sanderson and Bionda Castana. Failing that, if your purse strings are tight, then you’ve always got a chance to win a pair, enjoy a glass of champagne and receive a complimentary present from Browns. Sounds good to us, but hurry, it shuts at 7pm - Browns Shoes, 59 Brook Street, London.
The shoes are named after models — Lara, Hanne, Raquel — but the bags are named after TV show characters. We have the Brenda and Kelly [90210], the Dorothy shopper [The Golden Girls] and the Trudy [Miami Vice]. They’re all the shows that used to be on TV when I was growing up.
I love the look of a very long skirt with these paper-flat boots. Women in winter must wear very high or very flat boots, it's so chic – forget your pumps. Long skirts are a must in women's wardrobes, although you don't see many of them these days.
”The shoe designer tells the Independent what's best for next season
The twins' sophomore shoe effort is more downtown-Edwardian than grunge, which seemed to be the theme of the first footwear range. Think rocker ankle booties, slouchy lace-up boots and strappy flats for this time around. We kind of want every pair, and now we realise even more why the CFDA honoured the pair.
Charlotte Ronson has her own fashion line. Now, the dapper Mark Ronson has teamed with Gucci to design sneakers. And Samantha Ronson has churned out trainers for Supra.
Let's start with the male DJ sibling. Mark's Gucci shoes will sell with 18 other limited-edition styles at Gucci Icon-Temporary, a new pop-up shop. The company plans to open New York's location in Crosby Street this October, but Mark has come out with a pair of sneakers for each city that will have a pop-up shop. That includes London, Paris, Berlin and Tokyo, among others.
And on to Sam. Her Supra trainers are a version of the label's Indy style, but in new colours. She chose distressed black suede with a white sole and gold detailing. The shoes are on sale online for $148.
Alexander Wang is officially the man of the moment. But don't be misconceived. It's not all about parties and celebrities for the Swarovski Emerging Design Talent winner. Wang has developed a business acumen that could rival several leading figures in the business today. Each season, Wang ups the ante and continues to take his brand to the next level. Fresh off his diffusion collection with Gap and the introduction of his shoe line, Wang has expanded the brand to produce a range of leather goods including bags, shoes and clothing.
Are shoes so important? Really? If I was a woman, I would be dressed in the same thing for a month and just change my hat and gloves. Maybe my shoes too; yes, I see what you mean but, really, it’s jewels that change an outfit. And I do love gloves. And I adddore hats. There are toooo many shoes now. I always tell the children [his students at the Royal College of Art where he is an honorary professor], ‘Don’t do shoes! Do hats!’ And the shoes are so strange, so vulgar. I hate these platforms that are all over the place today; they are all about grabbing attention. They are suburban! I never do a platform. Well, I did, in the 1970s, but that was a bad experience.
