Consumers Want Freaky Shoes. Brands Are Stepping It Up
It can also swing a purchase. “Middle-class consumers are squeezed globally — hence their interest to stay in luxury with cheaper categories in absolute dollar terms,” says Bernstein luxury goods analyst Luca Solca. “Shoes cost a third of handbags on average, hence the relatively stronger appeal.”
For Nordstrom fashion director Brooke Bobb, picking favorites is difficult because of the sheer amount of standout shoes this season: “I loved the kinky cutout kitten heels at Jil Sander, the perforated pumps with brooches at Prada, Loewe’s charm sandals, Celine’s silvery lace-up heels, and all the sublime shoes at Dries: metallic block heeled loafers; two-tone high vamps; crystal-covered pumps!”
The footwear pendulum has swung back from low-key to maximalist, buyers agree. Tiffany Hsu, Mytheresa’s chief buying and group fashion venture officer, notes a clear shift away from the ease and practicality that’s dominated the last few years. “There is more excitement around shoes that bring glamour and personality back into the closet,” she says, noting Saint Laurent’s squiggly snake tail heels and Rick Owens’s strong boots and embellished “cage-like” shoes as standouts.
“Shoes have more personality right now,” adds Bobb, who believes the minimalist era of high vamp pumps, monochrome slingbacks and skinny thong heels is coming to a close. “This is the season of shoes that make a statement, whether by way of an off-beat shape, a playful embellishment, or a slick, sky-high heel — even better if it’s slightly curved like Christian Louboutin’s sculptural stilettos for Matières Fécales.”
In Herbert Levine creative director Trevor Houston’s view, there are two things happening at once: “a need for more expression, given the current state of the world, and a need for function to keep up with our intense lifestyles,” he says.
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