By MAEVE WALSH
COLUMNIST
From Vilas to Rebert the snow is receding, and although the grass is still brown and muddy, Spring is fast approaching. For those of you who are still either wishing for warmer temperatures or still in a springbreak frame of mind, I have lined up some of this season’s hottest shoe trends. Get ready to pack up your Bean Boots, store away your heavy coats and dream of beachy weather, because this spring’s shoes are bound to get you ready for summer days.
Suede: Just for a second, or the amount of time it takes you to finish this column, forget everything you thought about suede. Typically considered a winter staple, suede is this summer’s hottest fabric. Usually seen in bags, coats, and boots, suede has given us another reason to love its soft, flexible appearance. It is now appearing in sandals. Yes, I said sandals, and yes, it is too good to be true. Keeping in touch with this seasons ‘70’s trend, suede is the fabric of choice for fringe, which can be seen on everything from pumps to slides. Suede also happens to work alongside spring’s nude-shoe epidemic. Sandals in the perfect nude, AND they are suede? It is the final touch to any head-turning outfit.
The Espadrille: How do you take it? Heeled, flat, lace-up? Summers go-to shoe is, and always has been, the espadrille. Think of the espadrille as this season’s version of a Converse: lightweight, easy to slip on, and a woven bottom (for an easy festival-to-beach transition). This year, the espadrille gets a much-needed makeover, and has quickly gone from an everyday item to a statement piece. Take Tory Burch, who combined suede in the neutral colors of burnt coral and navy to create a perfect wear-to-class look. Soludos and Charlotte Stone took a different approach with a beautiful hybrid of two summer trends: the espadrille, and the crisscross strapped, open toe sandal. No matter what you choose, you certainly can not go wrong.
Flatforms: No, this is not a typo. Flatforms are an avant-garde crossbreed between platforms (which have a low toe and a high heel) and flats. In other words, they essentially are flat shoes boosted a few more inches off the ground. They are deliciously low-key while still being bold, and this season flatforms can be anything from sneakers to gladiators. Flatform sneakers are fabulously edgy but with a subtle casual and playful twist, perfect for a laid-back spring day on the quad. Flatform sandals are definitively après-beach, and come in a perfect medley of summer prints. Alice + Olivia’s abstract, 70’s colored print Flatform / Espadrille is certainly a shoe with a bold personality, and Tibi’s stacked platform with lace-up leather straps is both polished and rad. The Flatform is wonderfully edgy, and while I can imagine these would be potentially difficult to walk-in, I can not say they are not worth it.
Now that we have established the hottest summer trends, all that is left is the hot weather. No matter how much snow you see outside, keep calm and dream of beaches sluzers, and maybe slip on your sandals to really get in the spirit.