Introducing Addressed, a weekly column where we’ll, ahem, address the joys (and tribulations!) of getting dressed. We’ll look at runway trends, real-life trends, talk to people whose style we love, and most importantly, answer your own fashion queries. Download the Vogue App and find our Style Chat section to submit your question.
A Vogue editor asks: Spring is my favorite time of year, save for one thing: the several weeks in between boot and sandal seasons. I need some new ideas for walkable but chic transition shoes. I’m a pants and jeans person, and I don’t want to wear ballet flats, not even Alaïa’s crystal embellished mesh versions, thank you very much.
Ah yes, the classic transitional shoe quandary! There comes that time around March and April where we are so ready to shed our warm layers regardless of whatever the weather outside—and especially the dreaded feels like—is demanding. We are tired of logging around double our weight in chunky boots, but know that it’s simply too soon for a barely-there sandal.
It’s funny that you are anti-ballet flat because the solution to your problem is what I like to call the working woman’s shoe—indeed, the anti-ballet flat. The WWS can take the shape of a loafer, an oxford, or even a Mary-Jane, but what distinguishes it from other shoes is a sturdy leather sole, made to take a beating, that gets eventually reconstituted at the cobbler after a year or two or three, and then they hit the town and do it all over again. They are your forever shoes. These shoes are generally in the “flat” category but they can have a small heel—not a kitten heel but a “we are balancing the ergonomics of your foot” heel; but they can also have an aesthetic-based moderate chunky heel—no more than two inches. Crucially, they can be worn with or without socks, which is where I think their transitionality comes from—when the weather is cooperating, an exposed ankle peeking out from underneath an ankle-length pant feels just as joyous as it did during the Victorian era.
Thankfully there are many shoes that currently fit this criteria in a wide range of styles. Some of my favorites on the runway this season included Coach’s sleek winklepickers, which can have youthful appeal when worn with little socks and a dress, but are also the perfect complement to a pair of wide-legged trousers; Bally’s funky t-strap studded Mary-Janes are the perfect halfway point between a sandal and a WWS— but also do not miss their almond toe Mary-Janes (my personal favorite toe shape), which will also look good with trousers of any width and also with more nouveau dowdy silhouettes (which I know is not your vibe, but it must be shared). Prada’s everything-and-the-kitchen-sink spring show featured at least two great styles that fit into this category: a kookoo painted and pierced mid-heel loafer (which I would only wear with ankle-length slim pants to really show off their weirdness), and of course the classic foam-and-espadrille oxford sensations from spring 2011, which I recommend in a color that’s not black in order to put a real spring on your step. Luar’s pointed lace-up shoes with a criss-crossed strap and an opulent “L” insignia are pure WWS, they simply instantly elevate even the most humdrum outfit. If you don’t have Margiela Tabi fatigue, they are have some excellent transitional shoes.
Outside of the runway, the Spanish shoemaker Hereu always has some really killer WWS styles, especially good if you like your go-to closet picks to be a bit more mysterious and unusual. I bought a pair of Hereu dark brown T-strap Mary-Janes when I started working here, and three years later they’re still making my outfits make sense, which is the best thing you can ask from any one piece in your closet, really.
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