During my school years my flat black loafers were a loyal accompaniment to my grey pleated skirt- the same skirt that miraculously rolled up as soon as my mum disappeared from the gate. At this time I would have given anything to have blistered and aching feet like the other girls in school, but this forced shoe attire inadvertently lead me to being ahead of my time in the fashion stakes.

My mothers opinion that putting naïve, still forming feet in high heels was not only foolish but inappropriate has now meant I can rather smugly say ‘I’ve been wearing them for years!’

For those of you who, like me, have weak ankles, high arches, bunions etc there is now a more practical shoe out there. Thanks to eternally cool young style icon Alexa Chung whose appearance wearing a black patent version on channel 4 programme Freshly Squeezed lead to an influx of sales at Russell and Bromley, the relic from shoes history is once again cool.

They look simple and chic with skinny jeans and a loose cashmere jumper and have the ability to stop a pretty or floaty dress looking too saccharine, adding a contemporary harder edge. Alternatively you can flaunt you inner Katherine Hepburn androgyny and team with high- wasted wide leg trouser and an austere shirt.

I bought my new pair from Topshop, opting for a white pair called kasbian. They manage to transform any relatively plain outfit to pleasingly quirky. I am looking forward to having another pain free yet stylish option for winter walks and giving my well worn flat leather boots a rest! So come and join me and do comfortable chic.

Tags: A;exa Chung, Alexa Chung, Freshly Squeezed, loafers, quirky, shoes, Topshop, trends

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 at 11:58 am and is filed under Fashion Police. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.