If the shoe fits, pick something different for the other foot and wear both.
So goes a new trend in the world of fashion, recently sparked by a recent tweet with celebrities like Selena Gomez, Nicole Kidman and Sarah Jessica Parker wearing mismatched shoes.
During a September 2000 episode of “Sex and the City,†Sarah Jessica Parker’s character also sported a metallic blue Manolo Blahnik heel on one foot and a metallic pink heel on the other. Nearly 20 years later, the “mismatched shoe trend†has been seen all over the runways from fashion icons like Celine, Calvin Klein and Moschino.
Yahoo! states this new trend may look like “an unfortunate fashion fail,†but because of magazine covers, Instagram posts and even celebrities’ “Twitter moments†with mismatched shoes, “people want to wear them because they look cool,†according to Taylor McNickle, an accounting executive for Uncommon Fashion in Los Angeles. Celebrities have one of the most important roles in the fashion industry, McNickle said.
“If I didn’t see such powerful people like Selena Gomez or Nicole Kidman wearing mismatched shoes, I highly doubt it would ever become a fashion choice for the everyday person,†McNickle said.
“Trickledown fashion,†a theory where high fashion is repurposed into obtainable and affordable looks, “most definitely plays a big role†in this mismatched shoe trend, according to McNickle.
Bailey Kail, a sophomore apparel and accessory merchandising major, said she was immediately curious about what was happening with this trend in the fashion industry and in Hollywood.
“When I read the post on Twitter about Selena Gomez and Nicole Kidman, it did make me interested in what was going on in the fashion world and if it was really a new Hollywood trend,†Kail said. “The more I thought about it, however, the more it seemed like an effort to bring the attention off of rumors going on in these celebrities’ lives by bringing attention to a fashion statement.â€
Even though Kail has suspicion of what the true reasoning behind the mismatched shoes could be, she also said it is still putting an impact on the fashion industry and people who admire these celebrities.
“I personally think the mismatched shoes are a bold statement to go to an extremely well known scene with anything avant-garde themed,†Kail said. “I think that when celebrities do this, it is putting an extremely huge impact on the fashion industry because it gets people talking about them.â€
Sommer Rixter, a sophomore fashion merchandising major at U of M, said she would try a fashion trend if a celebrity she admires starts it.
“Many people only wear things because their favorite celebrity has,†Rixter said. “Rihanna, for example, can make the most unattractive things attractive just because of how much people like her. I would wear something Rihanna wore in a heartbeat.â€
Rixter said if done right, the trend could end up being successful.
“I believe that if done correctly, the mismatch shoe trend can be really cute,†Rixter said. “In my opinion, I think that this trend will only work if the two shoes are the same but different colors, or maybe if they compliment each other really well.â€
