Girls have a million shoes right? Wrong. Fortunately you only need three. These are androgynous trends, efficient for me in the sense that I don’t have to think specifically in gender suitability, and well, just efficient for me. So boys and girls here are your non-sexist, no pain just gain, gender indifferent trends for spring and summer – which is almost here!
The Birkenstock.
You know the ones. No ankle straps, just a strap across the mid section to hold you in – then you’re free to flip flop. They come in a variety of neutral colours for versatility and some more outrageous patterns too. I love the ease of these sandals: you can literally just slip them on. Shoes just aren’t that simple anymore. They look good on both men and women, on holiday and at home; a sandal I can finally agree with. Do: wear them with shorts, skirts, CROPPED jeans. Don’t: wear them with anything ankle length or longer.
The Suede Derby
Like a brogue but without the detailing. They’re a great summer update if you’ve been stuck in brogues all winter. I like the contrasting soles to the upper material. They are sometimes wooden, cork or rubber with a coloured stitching that serves as another winning detail. To update them as a summer piece try the lighter coloured suede with turned up trousers or jeans. Girls, if you’re a fan of pastels, they cater for you too! Try teeming them with some dainty ankle socks and tea skirts for a vintage look.
The Espadrille
There are many takes on the espadrille and you can’t really go wrong with any of them. For girls the espadrille wedge now comes in varying heights; a practical slight wedge, a mid-heel (about two inches) and super high wedges. They make any outfit look summery and are quite casual in the sense that they look at home just as much in the day, as they are in the night. For men and women the fabrics are really interesting. You can go for leather if you’d like to play with texture, want something a bit different, or something more hardy. You can also play with patterns on the fabric variants; nautical, pastels, bold block colours. The ones with rope laces look cool for men, more of a trainer if you’re concerned about looking too trendy.
