Gucci horsebit-detailed glitter-finished leather platform sandals, £490
When I saw these sandals in the New In section of Net-a-Porter last week, my first thought was, “Wow, Miu Miu have certainly returned to form!” Remember a few years ago, when they released a lot of fabulous, chunky sandals, including the famous cat-print versions? These shoes very much remind me of something from that season (without the cats, obviously), which is why I was a little bit surprised to find that they’re actually by Gucci, who I tend to associate with a more “grown up” kind of look – if that’s even the right way to phrases it.
Of course, the horse-bit should’ve given me a clue as to the provenance of these shoes: it’s a Gucci trademark, and although it’s a little bit lost amongst the silver glitter on the front of these, it’s still unmistakeable. As for the rest of the shoe, well, they may be just a little out-of-character for Gucci (although it’s not like they haven’t had flights of footwear fancy before, obviously), but the high, chunky platform is very much in keeping with the 70s vibe that’s still sweeping the fashion landscape, and which looks set to continue on into the autumn/winter 2015 season. They’re not necessarily 100% historically accurate of course (much of what’s currently passing for ’70s-style’ isn’t), but there’s definitely some inspiration coming from that particular decade.
I have to admit, I heaved a sigh of despair when I realised the 70s look wasn’t just going to be a one-season wonder: it’s been almost a year now, and it’s still going strong, which isn’t great news for those of us who aren’t big fans of the look. (I DID think the prevalence of 70s-inspired clothes in the stores right now would save me some money, but funnily enough, I’m still finding a steady enough supply of non-70s style items to keep me going, so it’s all good.), but I absolutely love these shoes, which are over-the-top in all the right ways, and just basically fabulous. Maybe the 70s weren’t so bad after all…
These are so tacky I kind of dig them. But here is my problem. Do you wear a tacky outfit with shoes like these so you have a “look”, or do you wear a normal outfit so your shoes will stand out? Because the former seems like you’d look like you were in a Halloween costume. And the latter seems like you’d look unbalanced and needed different shoes.