The slippers you could wear anywhere
Psst, we won’t tell anyone if you wear them outside
In our We Love This series we highlight the best style, beauty and home stuff — found, tested and obsessed over by us. Here, the un-slipper-like slippers currently glued to our beauty director’s feet.
Two years ago, I made a resolution: to make over my pyjama drawer and purge it of all things pilly, holey or just generally gross. No more turning into a lethargic blob after 8 p.m. I vowed to swap the sweats for silk and wake up a whole new person.
It actually worked. I had more energy, more confidence. My nightly consumption of reality TV dwindled drastically as I opted instead to read a book, take a bath or engage in other activities outside of slobdom. But one lingering reminder of my old ways remained, luring me back to the dark side: my slippers.
Finding sophisticated slippers, it turns out, is no easy feat. You’ve got your big, fuzzy “mascot feet” slippers (previously my preferred style; an ex used to refer to me as “bear paws”).
Then there’s the “step into my boudoir” pompom-topped variety. Kudos to anyone who can pull that off on the daily.
And let us not forget the preppy velvet loafer style, often monogrammed or embroidered with a crest.
All cute, admittedly, but all kind of caricatures, too. It’s like you’re either the quirky homebody, the slinky sexpot or the WASP-y tennis club member. There’s no in between, no ambiguity.
All of that changed recently when I met my perfect match. Are they slippers? Are they shoes? It’s not clear and that is precisely why I love them. (Hurray for ambiguity!)
They are from Canadian brand Tkees, which has seemingly made it its mission to rescue the saddest of footwear categories and raise them up to chic new heights.
(You may be familiar with Tkees’s very sleek reimagining of the flip-flop, a runaway hit.)
Officially, these suede beauties are “slides.” Unofficially, they are whatever you want them to be.
The slim silhouette (so long, bear paws) and rubber outsole make them ideal for going, as the brand puts it, “from couch to coffee without an outfit change.” Genius! I recently paired mine with leggings and a slouchy sweater to pick up croissants from the bakery down the street and no one was the wiser. If anything, they were a marked improvement from my usual beat-up runners.
They are available in four gorgeous colourways (black, navy, chocolate and camel) outfitted with or sans shearling insole. I’m personally partial to the plush feel of the shearling. It keeps my feet toasty and will allow me to stretch out sockless season for a few more weeks.
All that to say, I’ve finally put an end to my slipper-induced identity crisis. I am not the homebody nor the sexpot nor the tennis club member. I am simply a woman with really great slippers.