To most people, feet are arguably the most essential part of the body. They get you to class on time, walk you up the Blanchard steps, and keep you upright while in line at Rao’s. The only thing more important than your feet, are your shoes.
College is an interesting time for fashion because it is the only time that students really get to experiment with their style. During grade school everyone is focused on following trends and dressing like their fellow classmates, and during adulthood practicality or professionalism usually take over personal style. But these gleaming four years of college life offer a time to experiment with your look, try something new, and oh yes, wear ugly shoes!
Walking around the Mount Holyoke campus, it’s easy to spot any number of interesting shoe choices. While this footwear may be ridiculed in the real world, when walking across the green there’s simply nothing better than these babies: I’m talking Birkenstocks, slides, Tevas, and Chacos in the summertime. When it’s cooler the Crocs, Ugg boots, and Danskos start to make appearances as well. Finally, these previously pigeonholed shoes get their moment in the light, where any student from any background has the opportunity to sport them without fear of judgement or retaliation.
For many years, this celebration of the ugly shoe has stayed on the college campus, but recently this trend has permeated the higher levels of fashion. As some students may be aware of, September hosts the four major fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan, and Paris. During this month designers show their clothing, shoe, and handbag collections for spring and summer of 2017. The themes that recur most commonly in different designers’ shows are typically deemed the trends of that season. This season was incredibly interesting, for it housed a trend that was eerily familiar. That’s right, ugly shoes have hit the runway!
The models at Christopher Kane sported the infamous rubber Croc, complete with gemstone jibbitz. Rihanna, a newly turned fashion designer, sold out her pink furry PumaxFenty slides in a heartbeat. Prada sent out a series of plastic sandals, reminiscent of my shower shoes, and Miu Miu was well equipped with rubber slides. Miuccia Prada, the designer behind both these collections, then fittingly stepped out to take her final bow in nothing else than a pair of Tevas. Other runways saw combinations of rubber, fur, buckles, and clogs throughout the month.
It’s no question that groundbreaking schools like Mount Holyoke are at the forefront of this fashion trend. Our willingness to try new things and to not simply accept society’s labels is apparent in our love for even the most exiled shoe. So whether it’s a pair of fur crocs you slide your feet into in the morning, or worn out birkenstocks, just keep doing you. And if anybody ever questions your shoe choice, just tell them it’s fresh off the runway!
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