April 18, 2011

80s Fashion Gone Mad! Espadrilles

Designed and created in the 14th Century, made commercial and popular in the 80s and now back again as a key trend for summer 2011 and beyond. In the words of Rolph Harris, “can you tell what it is yet?” you guessed it, its the espadrille.

I have to admit the history of the espadrille was lost on me, twenty minute read up on wikipedia and a few forums and blogs later I can tell you that espadrilles were first worn in the 14th century and is a French term derived from the Catalan word for shoes. Espadrilles are commonly made from canvas with a rope sole and stitched together with the tough rope, however the new 2011 ranges have seen a thin rubber sole being used below a jute rope sole, this is much more funtional, hardwearing a provides much more flexibility in the sole unit and is much more eco friendly than any other options. The espadrille got its big break in the 1980s as one of the lead characters in Miami Vice wore a pair of espadrilles with his outfit. This saw popularity sky rocket until the show finished in the late 80s and the espadrille was replaced by the next big fad (unfortunately I was too young to remember the next big footwear choice!). The espadrille has returned in 2011 on the back of a couple of really successful years of canvas plimsolls and deck shoes. This return has paved the way for tapered jeans to be matched with espadrilles or plimsolls or the timeless classic flip flop.

Toms were the first to really see an increase in the sales of their espadrilles, with business going through the roof almost overnight. After what seemed like an eternity of Toms ruling the world (or at least the espadrille world) a handful of other top mens designer brands have thrown their offering into the ring the flip flop makers Havaianas being the latest. The Brazilian rubber flip flop kings have decided to expand their collection and have ventured into fantastically priced espadrilles for the summer and wellies for the winter, which will be perfect in a designer world where only hunters really offer anything, but thats a different tale for when then sunshine has disappeared! Alongside Toms and Havaianas other top brands Nicholas Deakins, Lacoste and Diesel have also added a style or two to their collections and have a branded canvas espadrille alongside their canvas plimsolls and either canvas or leather deck shoes. If you’re looking for on trend you can’t really avoid or go wrong with any form of footwear made from canvas. If you are espadrille mad and the charitable sort then you need to be looking at Toms. Slightly more pricey but Toms give a pair of espadrilles to a child in need, which is a worthy cause. If not then try any major designer footwear or clothing retailer such as Schuh, Shoes.co.uk or Mainline Menswear and you’re sure to find an outfit to suit.

March 24, 2011

The Sun Is Out… Get Your Flip Flops On!

Around the UK the sun is slowly starting to come out, the first day of spring has been and gone and as of this weekend the clocks change and my sleep patterns will go to pot for a few weeks! But all of this means one thing to readers of Designer Shoes and Trainers… flip flops. The second the sun is out that is it, the shorts and flip flops are out and on, and they’re only removed if we get a wet spring day, or i’m going somewhere a little more up market then the deck shoes or espadrilles are out with the chinos or shorts.

Flip flops are possibly the best invention ever. Originating and worn in its earliest form from a design in Japan and worn in New Zealand and America by returning service men the flip flops had woven soles and were worn as beachwear. This was in the 1930s, it took until the 50s before anyone had the idea of changing them to plastic soles. There is a bit of controversy over who invented them first, so i’ll give that a bit of a wide bearth, but by the end of the 50s Flip Flops were more commonly known as ‘jandals’ a shortened version of Japanese Sandals. New Zealand still to this day refer to them as jandals, while Australia prefers thongs and both the UK and US use the more common flip flops.

One of the top flip flop brands around the world is Havaianas. It is widely accepted that the Brazilian rubber flip flop giant is by far the biggest in every country, and achieves this by focusing only on flip flops, sandals and thongs. Established in 1962 their global fame came in 1998 when they released a colourful range of flip flops that included the Brazilian flag on the strap. This design soon became wanted by every man, woman and child and led to Havaianas going global. Many other designer brands have a seasonal release of flip flops, but few are as low priced or carry the same quality as Havaianas. To combat this brands such as Lacoste, Armani, Hugo Boss, G Star, Diesel and surfing brands such as Reef and Quicksilver upgrade their designs by using leathers or soft cottons to enhance their flip flops, allowing them to charge slightly more. I’ve personally got a couple of pairs of Lacoste leather flip flops and they have lasted for ages! As with everything this summer there is plenty of colour to be had with the flip flops. Not so much the more expensive pairs, but the Havaianas and the £10-£25 pairs have plenty of colours available with green, yellow, blue, red, orange and pink among many more bright and eye catching colours.