Blow the dust off
The wrong shoes
From brogues with ballgowns to trainers with tulle skirts, writer Jan Masters explains how to find your feet with the ultimate style hack
Jan teams any outfit with an unexpected shoe from her collection
It must be more than 20 years ago when I used to wear a wisp of a chiffon dress with tan suede biker boots laced up to the knee. It was all about the juxtaposition of soft and tough. The boots took the overtly sweet edge off the fluttery butterfly-print fabric, while the frock ushered the boots into dressier territory. Interestingly, by putting these two opposites together rather than fighting it out, they raised each other’s game.
Many of us have played with a similar idea, teaming a pretty summer dress with white trainers. So much so, the combo has gained more than a toehold in go-to styling and is now thoroughly assimilated into acceptable sartorial etiquette – you can turn up to a drinks party in a floral midi and a pair of white Adidas, safe in the knowledge that nobody will think you down-at-heel.
I reckon the popularity of this look grew after Covid. We’d slouched around at home in comfy shoes for so long, many of us couldn’t face scaling the precipitous heights of a super-high heel. I remember when lockdown ended and I tried slipping into a pair of stilettos. I felt like one of the ugly sisters trying to wriggle her way into Cinders’ too-small glass slipper. Frankly, the idea of walking even a short distance in them seemed ridiculous.