You wake up in the morning, already late for work. You have to have breakfast and take a shower. The last thing on your mind is how to look spiffy at work. You’ve been meaning to collect yourself: combine that aloof coolness while remaining comfortable, smart yet at ease, edgy yet with a hint of your inner dandy. You want to impress, always bring your best self. Yet, while all this goes through your head, you recrumple your pillow and swear it all to hell.
Almost every day, you end up wearing the same blue or striped polo shirt (in every conceivable shade and combination), khaki or navy pants, and black or brown leather shoes (lace-ups or slip-ons), even if your dress code is smart casual. If you do don sneakers, like your shirts, they will only come in one color but in a multiplicity of tones: white. They also tend to be all Chuck Taylors.
Gone are the days of cutting corners. It seems you have forgotten ever using Cliff Notes for literature class. Even if you can get away with it, you do not dare cheat on your wardrobe. But take heart: the easiest way to lose your boredom over dressing is to rehash your concept of the most potent part of your outfit — your shoes.
With all the permutations in designer collaborations, not only from fashion but also from other fields, shoe design has integrated work wear with sports, preppy with the flamboyant ’80s, couture and high street, comic with classic. So much so that sneakers and rubber shoes have already infiltrated the work place and are almost unrecognizable from their formal counterparts. With all the choices available, now is the perfect time for deviants to bring out their hidden rebels, while still keeping them under tailored hems. Even on Fridays and weekends, consistent rebels only wear funky sneakers that maintain the same personality and sophistication.
So back to bed and a sartorial twist to the chicken and egg question: will your outfit be led by the shoes you choose to wear or by your clothes? Start transforming your wardrobe from the ground up. Maybe it’s time your shoes quit playing second fiddle.