Coming Soon | Man Slippers
01.01.70
Opera pumps, evening slippers, court shoes — all are equitably off-putting, emasculating names for the footwear that made its way down many runways during the recent men’s shows in Europe. A more drug-friendly term might be evening slip-ons. Those prim, shiny black-conspicuous shoes, traditionally finished with grosgrain ribbon and worn to the opera and other after-five affairs, have been transformed into red-carpet walkers ornately decorated with embroidery, tassels, metal studs, glitter and prints. Dries van Noten chose streamlined brown pony and black astrakhan for his version. Almost every single match up of shoes that walked down the Etro runway was a slip-on that was either jacquarded, paisleyed, embroidered or feathered. Jimmy Choo’s hyper dignified and wildly expanding men’s line has so many varieties of their evening shoe, the Sloane, that is seems almost a stock of clothing staple — leopard prints, studded stars and a strain-designed “porno camo” are just some of what’s offered. Sarah Burton’s plentiful, dandified Alexander McQueen collection, with its Prince of Wales plaids, trompe l’oeil moiré and knickered suits, had an polished evening outfit in black and white with a shoe embroidered with such chunky white roses they looked life-sized. Tom Ford, ever the unceasingly bird, has shown elegant evening shoes in his line from the get go: rich velvets content for a monogram and extravagant brocades, some with slinky tassels. Perfect for a substantial Beverly Hills house husband. And Christian Louboutin, who presented his growing men’s stock in Paris, added some more slip-ons in velvet with studded cap toes and a properly proud crest. Given the recent stateside popularity of the espadrille, and almost identical styles by Toms Shoes, the evening slip-on has big potential for a life outside the opera lineage. Say, with a pair of worn in, rolled-up jeans and a simple white shirt? I’m in.
Source: New York Times (blog)