Spring deliveries are here — and now that the seasonal weather is finally catching up, it makes for the perfect incentive to update your shoe wardrobe.
While there are plenty of trends to choose from this spring (mules, kitten heels, dad sneakers, Western boots, sock boots, more mules), some shoes will rise above the rest and even come to define the season (think of how Prada’s hot-rod heels stood out for spring ’12). Below, the six spring ’18 shoes that will achieve icon status now and later.
1. Balenciaga sock trainers
Demna Gvasalia continues to release hit shoe after hit shoe for the French fashion house, and there are multiple styles within the spring collection alone that are rising to cult status. But it’s the brand’s sock trainers — available for both men and women — that Cardi B just immortalized in her new song “I Like It,” featuring J Balvin and Bad Bunny. Direct and to the point, she raps, “I like those Balenciagas, the ones that look like socks.” That lyric will likely elevate this cult shoe even higher in fashion and pop culture.
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2. Jimmy Choo x Off-White boots
Virgil Abloh has the Midas touch, which is why Louis Vuitton recently tapped him as its men’s artistic director. Fans will have to wait until June to see what the designer creates for the French luxury brand during Men’s Fashion Month, but Abloh already has plenty of must-have pieces available, like these TPU-coated boots from his collaboration with Jimmy Choo.
3. Attico buckled mules
There are literally hundreds of mules to choose from this spring, but Attico‘s colorblocked version with its signature buckle is the shoe on every influencer’s feet. Street-style icons themselves, designers Giorgia Tordini and Gilda Ambrosio have a knack for knowing what pops — which is exactly what these brightly colored shoes do.
4. Roger Vivier bejeweled sandals
The jewelry shoes trend is here to stay, but Roger Vivier’s latest iteration proves that crystal embellishments don’t have to equal stiletto pumps. The brand has an entire collection of comfortable buckled sneakers and sandals (the latter an unofficial ode to Birkenstock) that feature oversized baguette-shaped crystal embellishments that create a very blingy version of its signature buckle.
5. Chloé cut-out Rylee boots
Fashion is going full-on Western for fall ’18, with dozens of styles that riff on the classic cowboy boot, from Pierre Hardy’s city slickers to Isabel Marant’s fringed footwear. Chloé creative director Natacha Ramsay-Levi is also on the Western bandwagon for fall, with vintage-inspired hardware and hybrid silhouettes, which she also hinted at for spring. The current version has just a touch of country — plus a whole lot of cutouts for warmer weather (and festival season).
6. Jacquemus Les Sandales Bahia
French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus has quickly become known for his quirky architectural shapes, especially his footwear, which often features mismatched geometric wooden heels and stacked spheres. His latest versions have the same brightly colored spheres and other shapes, the perfect sandals for an evening out while on a warm-weather getaway.
