FROM THE ARCHIVES:The Women First team did not feel able to go, as they put it, "with their eyes down on the feet situation" to all the continent's spring shoe fairs in 1972 so they had Jim Boylan, in Bologna on business, write this report. – JOE JOYCE
AT THESE fairs, you try to look into the crystal ball as far forward as next autumn, and the big story for ladies’shoes can be summed up in one word – platforms.
There are sandal types in white, or white and red/blue combinations-sometimes with ankle straps, with great thick platform wedges in a “tree bark” finish made from polyurethane (a trendy new light-weight plastic sole material).
There are clogs with cut-out toes, and huge curvy, cork platforms – you look as though you are walking on a great big sponge.
There are “elegant” shoes with classic plain court uppers, and leather-covered platforms and heels – the platforms were up to a couple of inches thick and heels up to five inches thick.
Not all the shoes had platforms, but certainly the most exciting ones had.
The shoe designers had really gone wild when they came to the platforms – some had holes and openings carved on them, with sculptured curved and surfaces – a la Henry Moore. Some looked as though they were built up from bamboo.
Shoes with platforms tended to be fairly plain, on a medium rounded last, with a slightly bumped toe – the main interest being the platforms. But amongst the “non-platform” shoes, there was a very definite revival of the pointed toe– admittedly a softened rounded point, but still a point.
These were mainly “classic-county” shoes to be worn with tweeds and gamekeeper: my feeling is that they will be really big in about a year’s time.
Amongst the “elegant” shoes, laces were important – not the current styles with long facings and big brash eyelets, but neat tailored lace-ups – it’s surprising how classical they looked.
Bootees look like being non-starters this autumn. Last season was very mixed, and there were few to be seen at Bologna. What bootees there were were very classical, mostly in matt, softly (not stretchy) black, cut very neat, and with very little ornament.
Most had a high squash heel, and a lot of them had platforms.
In the shops at the moment, suedes are very popular – in powder blue, and any shade you like between pink and purple: mostly in overlays, contrast combinations, etc. These will probably be very popular for the summer .
For men also soles are the main news. Here the story is rather confused – in London the trend is towards a natural finish on the edge of the leather sole, with high-stacked leather heels.
There were none of these at Bologna, where one sole and one style appeared in nearly all the show cases-a chukka boot in a rough waxy leather, with heavy cable-stitching, and a big thick crepe sole-the sort of boots you would hijack an aeroplane in.
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