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Item of the week: the fluffy slides

By Rachel Douglass

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Fashion

(From left) Image: Simmi, Karl Lagerfeld, Madewell

What it is:

The slide is typically an open toe sandal that allows the wearer to simply slide into the shoe, as the name suggests. While the style has been a popular footwear trend for a few seasons now, presenting shoppers with a simple, seasonless design, alternative iterations have been making their way onto the market, most notably complete with a fluffy exterior. Faux fur designs were present on both the runway and increasingly in high-end retail, with each offering up a fresh take on a style that, previously, was often most favoured by sportswear brands. The look also brings a more comfortable and fashion-forward substitute for the flip-flop, still giving the customer an easy, slip-on footwear option for all year round.

Image: Chinese Laundry

Why you’ll want it:

Fluffy slides are a fun addition to a casualwear line that encourages shoppers to try more daring and playful styles and brings a vibrant personality to a collection. Both the material and silhouette also make the slides suitable throughout the year, with an open shape that allows room to breathe during spring and summer and a fluffy exterior that provides a bit of warmth in the colder months. Additionally, to add on to the shoes’ surprising versatility, the fluffy slide can be worn both as an outerwear and indoor wear shoe, giving customers plenty of options depending on what they are looking for. Whether they are needed a quick shoe option for a casual errand or a cosy item to wear around the house.

Image: Crocs

Where we’ve seen it:

To complement a range of oversized and structured dresses, Claudia Li opted for fluffy slides as the brand’s footwear of choice on the AW22 runways. While also holding the qualities of a slipper, the looks the designer exhibited utilised multiple pastel tones and exaggerated shapes, similar to the garments presented in the collection. Lanvin’s iteration of the fluffy slide bore similarities to Li’s designs, also taking the form of a closed off slipper shape with a clashing colour scheme. Despite not fitting the typical definition of a slide, Bottega Veneta steered towards fluffy footwear, offering up a slip-on platform heel in a bright orange hue. Simon Miller also took on the platform shoe, displaying a fluffy slip-on with an exaggerated height, complementing the brand’s other fluffy shoe styles presented for AW22, including a snow boot look and a long-haired slipper.

Image: Michael Kors

How to style it:

The great thing about the fluffy slide is that there are no rules with how to wear it. Slides are meant to be shoe styles that are purposely designed to be easy-to-wear and a quick slip-on option when running errands or sitting around the house. This means attire can also be simple enough to slip on, like an effortless jeans and t-shirt combination or even jogging bottoms and a hoodie. If you want to jazz an outfit up a little bit, consider veering towards the 90s and noughties trends that are prominent in fashion today. Cropped tops, printed trousers and retro accessories can help to make the fluffy slide a fashion-forward outerwear option, in case casualwear isn’t the desired outcome.

Image: Kenneth Cole

Fun footwear options are always a welcome addition to a collection and the fluffy slides are a perfect way to get in on the trend, offering customers a surprisingly versatile shoe style that can take them from season to season. From the fluffy footwear trend on the runway to the rise in popularity for casualwear, this iteration of the favoured slide silhouette looks to continue being a hit for the upcoming seasons ahead.

Image: Aerosoles

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