New York City – vegan designer shoe capital of the world? Well, it would certainly seem so, as I just discovered yet another proudly vegan, eco-friendly, ethical shoe company that hails from there.
Just feast your eyes on these hot hot boots from the super stylish Cri de Coeur. These may come from NY, but they wouldn’t shame any Italian designer showing on the Milan fashion week catwalk.
They feature classic lines, trendy open toe and sides which is very very now, plus they are handmade, carbon neutral and totally feminine and sexy.
Pair these with a classically cut little black dress and some Gucci sunglasses and you’re laughing. Celebrities, get your wallets!
You (or your personal stylist) can get these from Amazon.com
Let’s be honest – the reason I like these is that even though they sort of look like your average, vegan-staple canvas baseball boots, their strappiness makes them look a little bit like some kind of straight-jacket, which instantly makes them just a little bit more kinky than your average, vegan-staple canvas baseball boots.
You could totally play on that, if you wanted to, or you could just wear them as neat vegan boots with a side zip and straps instead of laces. I mean, not everyone has a somewhat sick mind like mine and would instantly think about insane asylums and bondage when seeing a harmless pair of simple canvas shoes, right? Right!
Either way, you could get these from Office.
Oh my god, Palladiums are back! I mentioned these recently in passing as a nostalgic memory of my misspent teenage years (when those were the only vegan shoes around). I actually looked around recently online to see if they still exist, but all I found were recent suede and leather shoes they make. Now suddenly I see these! Yes, they are totally back. It must have been long enough since they went for new people to be introduced to them and think they are either retro or just plain cool. Welcome to the 90s. Again.
Well, I still own a few pairs of these going all the way back to when they were originally cool. I know they are comfortable and they last. I used to wear them as hiking boots in the days before synthetic hiking boots were a reality.
I’m glad these are cycling their way back into today’s mainstream, though time will tell if the whole 90s revival thing catches on.
These are called pampa hi trainers and are available at Schuh.
OK, I know it’s cheating to write about so many shoes from the same place over one week, but just this one more pair cause they’re so wicked. Vegan steampunk trainers, oh yeah!
I know it’s Valentine’s day, so I should really be writing about some shoes with a heart on them (like the awesome Melissa Dragon Lady), but hey, these are brilliant too and steampunk is (apparently) forever.
Check out the really intricate, delicate gear print. Nice!
I’m also liking the pinstripe / sort of aged, almost parchment combo. So now you can basically still look steampunk even when it’s trainer-weather and you’re in your street clothes looking a different kind of cool. The whole design is at once very modern but also somewhat old-school with the whole Spats look and Victorian charm.
Totally casual and neat and you can be sure no one in your vicinity will own a pair. There are a few other steampunk designs on there that are also worth a look, though these were my favourites so far.
You can get them from Zazzle.
Another good find on the Zazzle site. These Rasta-inspired trainers are soooo cute!
They have the right colours if you want to do the Jamaican thang, but also a cool pattern to go with, so you can wear them even if you just like the design and the colours and it won’t necessarily mean you’re overtly Rasta. So wink, if you may, or you could work them into a bigger Jamaican, Rasta look.
I like the cute red piping and the splash design. The base design of the trainer itself is pretty neat in a simple sort of way, making for a really desirable shoe.
You can get these from Zazzle.
Simple, cute and stylish – I do like these. They’re a different take on the usual canvas high top trainer, with straps instead of laces.
I think these would make nice smart-casual trainers to wear to work if your office is funky or for going out somewhere where you need to look vaguely smart but also vaugely trendy and have your shoes just blend in with the look. They’re a good shade of neutral (navy, apparently. Looked grey to me on this screen, but I guess it’s denim of sorts). They also come in black synthetic, which is also handy, though they look like they might look a bit cheap in real life in that style.
Both of these are on sale right now, so they *are* actually cheap, which is always good.
You can get these directly from Aldo.
Well, it was only a matter of time, wasn’t it? It’s now a full 20 years since 1990 and the 90s retro stuff starts appearing. Yes, apparently there is 90s retro and this is it. Shoes like these canvas high heels. They’re a bit weird, let’s be honest, but true to the grungy and chunky spirit of the times.
They are Schuh’s own brand and as you can see they have a very chunky heel and somewhat of a trainer-like feel. I remember owning something similar myself in the 90s.
I wasn’t even convinced there *was* a 90s look that could be brought out of retirement and into vintage stores, but this is apparently it and it does make sense. So if you want to relive the wonder years of 90s fashion, now’s your chance. Oh yeah…Don’t laugh at the concept of 90s retro. 80s retro has been around for ages now, so this is the next logical step.
These are called the carrie bar shoes and you can get them from Schuh.
Well, it was only a matter of time till I ended up writing about something of the canvas boot range that has been so extremely popular over the last few years. These flat vegan boots by Sugar I think are a particularly funky example, with a funky flowery pattern that makes them stand out.
Having canvas shoes become trendy is somewhat of a double-edged sword, as things that go into fashion tend to come out of fashion too, which is when vegan fashion victims risk looking somewhat like yesterday’s news.
I remember back in the day when I’d just turned vegetarian and stopped wearing leather, there were practically no non-leather shoes around. I was reduced to wearing Palladium shoes – sort of canvas walking shoes that came in black or tan. Then they suddenly became hugely popular and mainstream, which was great, as it resulted in there being lots of funky-coloured Palladiums about (which I bought), and wearing them became a fashion statement. Then they went out of fashion and wearing them became a totally different fashion statement.
And the moral of the story is? Well, for one, enjoy the golden age while it lasts and get yourself some nice canvas shoes in slightly more interesting designs than you otherwise would. Once the trend is gone, it’s up to you to decide whether to keep wearing them, depending on how much of a fashion victim you are. If your shoes are cool enough to match your look and be attention-grabbing enough on their own (which these certainly are), then you should be OK whatever.
