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Daggy dad runners, chunky street kicks, even ugly sneaks – call them what you will, it may just be time for the platform sneaker look that’s owned both runways and street style looks for the past two years to step aside.
Their successor? It might just be tractor tread lace-ups, as revealed on the likes of Gigi Hadid and Kaia Gerber overnight on the Prada Autumn Winter 2019 runway at Milan Men’s Fashion Week.
All the chunk, less of the sporty cheek. Think Doc Martens on steroids. The aesthetic opposite of the stretch neoprene flats and kitten heels seen on her Miuccia Prada’s eponymous SS19 catwalk last September.
The designer might have done her level best to make her models come across kooky, kind of ugly even – all shaggy librarian hair, kitschy florals and practical shoes – but the only thing Kaia Gerber and Gigi Hadid did was elevate the game to drop-DED levels. (Literally, given the solid sole on those shoes.)
Coincidently, both models – two of just a handful showcasing new female looks on the mostly male runway – are already fans of chunky laced up leather shoes and snapped off duty in combat kicks like Timberlands or Doc Martins on a regular basis. (For Gerber in particular, they’re practically uniform in winter, playing yang to her Converse Chuck Taylor yangs in summer.)
The label’s iconic designer has leaned toward vertiginous platform heels of late at Prada, too. Her Cruise 2018 for standalone diffusion line Miu Miu was retro Formula One themed, with a standout look resembling a rubber car mat fashioned into a mini skirt.
Today’s tire-trend shoes and boots up are a mash-up of the two concepts.
“So many people say that beauty will save the world, but I don’t believe so,” Prada told media after the Milan show. “The world will be saved by intelligence and humanity and generosity – and possibly love. But of course, the aesthetic world helps, a little.”
There’s no harm in an overtly comfy, overly elevated leather shoe as well. This collection will drop in August 2019. Time to go where others dare to tread…
