Heatwave shoes that have built-in air-con...
BASKET WEAVE shoes. I know what you are thinking: 1970s geography teachers; those heart-sinking ads for breathable footwear in murky shades of oatmeal and sludge at the back of magazines.
Well, contrary to all of the above, I am here to tell you that woven shoes have had a sassy reinvention and could be the perfect summer footwear, whether you’re holidaying or stuck in the office.
I’ve got my eye on a pair of sleek, liquorice-black mules from & Other Stories (€89, stories.com) made from that particular style of basketweave that you might otherwise associate with a Parisian bistro chair. They’re more chic than they sound, I promise.
Of course, basket-weave shoes are hardly new. Woven Mexican ‘huarache’ sandals are a style that is preChristopher Columbus in origin and still going strong today.
Incidentally, wearing huaraches became a badge of pride for the US hippie movement in the 1960s and 1970s on account of being all natural, hand-crafted and much kinder to the environment than a pair of plastic flip flops. The Beach Boys even sang about them in their 1960s hit Surfin’ USA.
Fashion is in thrall to all things retro, hippyish and earth-loving right now. Even some of the glitziest designer houses are flirting with the trend for straw, macrame, raffia and basket-weaves, as they pay homage to design codes of the past, and try to win brownie points for sustainability.
Take this summer’s hottest bag: Loewe’s rustic basket with a leather logo.
If you missed out (and happen to have a spare €980), my advice would be to get in early for Gucci’s fabulous totes, which I saw on the pre-fall catwalk.
Designed by creative director Alessandro Michele, they come in punchy primarycoloured Gucci stripes and are made from allnatural straw.
But back to the business of shoes. During this heatwave, I have been thoroughly swayed by the advantages of wearing a cute basket-weave closed-toe shoe to the office. They look so much slicker than an open-toe sandal.
The result is cool in every sense of the word. And there’s no need for me to spell out the relief of not having to be pedicure-perfect at all times. Interestingly, the woven shoe styles that look just right have a sharpness and masculinity about them. The black woven mule loafers at Topshop are a case in point (€44, topshop.com). And, as the goal here is not to end up looking like an extra from Godspell, I advise going for a shoe with a smart, geometric basketweave, rather than something more rufty-tufty. So how do you wear a woven shoe? The answer is with easybreezy confidence. A pair of woven mules — I like the Dolce Vita ones from Urban Outfitters (now €109, urbanoutfitters. com) — would look as good with a pair of frayed white jeans as with a dreamy lace boho maxi dress. Marks and Spencer and Next both have a stiletto court in their sales right now. Like many of life’s pleasures — strawberries at Wimbledon, an Aperol spritz, or harbouring a crush on Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia! — basketweave footwear is summer specific. So, if you find yourself in a couple of months’ time considering pairing socks with your woven shoes on account of the chill (see 1970s geography teacher above), chances are it’s time to store them away for next year.