For advice about what we’ll be wearing on our feet in AW10, I turned to Australia’s leading shoe-blogger Matt Jordan, aka Imelda the Despotic Queen of Shoes. Matt’s blog, www.imelda.com.au, was recently named one of the best in the world by the editors of French Grazia – he knows his stuff.
Matt, what are the key trends you’re seeing for men’s shoes this season?
The most exciting trend would be the return of the brothel creeper. Vertically challenged men rejoice. Otherwise it’s the return of the desert boot, tassel trimmed loafers and driving moccs.
Where are we heading?
Men’s footwear is so diverse but the key trend influence is the early 1990s, so expect more colour-blocked hi-tops and Timberland-inspired hiking boots. We’ve also been seeing more utilitarian-inspired footwear (think Ann Demeulemeester) , which focuses less on the upper and more on sole treatments. Overall designers are keeping men’s footwear interesting by merging influences into hybrid styles.
If you had to choose the one must-have pair of shoes to buy for AW10, what would they be?
If you can find a pair then buy a pair of Teddy boy desert boots, which on a gum platform kinda looks like the roid-abusing brother of the brothel creeper. Otherwise, invest in a heavily brouge’d late-1920s, early ’30s, round/almond toe oxford, with a ghillie trim.
So that we don’t literally put our foot in it, what should we avoid?
Cheap shoes.
You’ve just launched a new menswear street style blog, The Style Tyrant (www.thestyletyrant.com). What’s it all about?
The blog-savvy people at Sony realised that if Imelda was to continue her UN-imposed exile glued to her computer for 18 hours a day, she’d slowly succumb to agoraphobia.
So they decided (ok, so a little cajoling was required) after viewing my previous photographic maraudings (whereby Sony lent me an Alpha DSLR for MSFW) to arm the Despotic Queen of Shoes with an Alpha 500 and booted her back into reality.
Expect there’s already another blogger who specialises in exceptional footwear-focused street style photography and it’s obvious that the world certainly doesn’t need another women’s street style blog.
So I decided to slip off my taser heels and start The Style Tyrant – a menswear street style blog with a focus on identifying trends whilst presenting the men of Sydney (tremble, Melburnians, as The Tyrant will be making haste to the Garden State soon) in their entire sartorial splendour.
Also, after migrating to Sydney (from Melbourne) I wasn’t endearing myself to the good people of Sydney with snobbish generalisations like, “But Melbourne has more style…” I’m hoping to be proved wrong.
Photos: Shoe-blogger Matt Jordan; Sahara Boot in beige suede by Extinct.
Entry from Paul Hayes, http://kollektor.com.au
Paul Hayes
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Oh I love Matt and this is a great interview so excited to check out style Tyrant xx