Prints covered the shoes of Milan Fashion Week this season. Always welcome in clothing, prints add a decorative element to a look, enhancing styles that would have otherwise been simple. Bringing the trend into footwear elevates traditional shoe styles from everyday pumps or boots into unique statement pieces.
For the most part, the prints appeared in rich hues such as red or gold, evoking the highly ornamental qualities of Italian Renaissance painting. Some designers got playful with the trend, using bright colors to add a cheerful pop. Either way, printed footwear makes for exceptional looks.
In one of its many printed looks, Dolce & Gabbana put a Renaissance-esque image of a Madonna and child on a pair of slip-on loafers, creating an interesting juxtaposition of a very traditional art trope with a contemporary shoe style. A butterfly print over the image, along with embellishments at the heel, helped make this shoe a bit more modern.
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Salvatore Ferragamo showed a sky-high pair of boots in an intricate print that blends alligator with snakeskin.
Marni added a frilly print in a hand-drawn aesthetic along the sides and front of rounded-toe kitten heels. The style was shown in beige or red with a black print, as well as black with the print in white.
Prints were all over the Versace runway — on its shoes as well as its clothes. Some printed sandals were shown along with tights in similar prints, giving a trompe l’oeil illusion that made it unclear where the shoe ended and tights began.
The Versace prints included seashell motifs or ornate, non-figural designs. Another common theme in the collection was pop art-inspired prints with repeated imagery of pop culture figures.
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