Oxfords, and Loafers, and Booties, OH MY!

By paige kooyenga on October 11, 2012

From Frye Maggie’s

 

 

I think that it is safe to say that it is officially fall. Gone are the days of waking up to a sunny, eighty degree morning; here come the frostbitten windows, hot tea, and layers upon layers of whatever warm fabric you can muster. So, this season, while trying to stay as chic as possible one might ask “what exactly am I to wear on my feet?!” Great question. If you’ve had a spare moment in the past chaotic few weeks and possibly picked up a fashion mag of any kind you’ll notice an emerging trend. Oxfords, loafers, and booties of all sorts are making an appearance on the style scene in quite a big way. For those of you who do need a little bit of enlightenment into what exactly these little gems are, descriptions are as follows:

Oxford: A heeled or flat shoe with a rounded toe and laces. These little babies are usually leather, unless you opt for synthetics (my vegan friends), and have distinct punch-patterns where small circles of the leather have been removed. No, the actual shoe does not have holes in it, they’re in an overlay. Basically, too cute for words.

Bootie: Essentially, the word ‘bootie’ constitutes any ankle boot with some semblance of a solid heel. Popular styles at the moment are of black or brown leather and have a completely full bottom, much like a wedge. Lots of super stylish details can be found in this genre of footwear. Trends of the moment? Fringe, studs, and laces are all very in.

Loafers: This usually masculine shoe choice is busting down the gender door and making an appearance among women all over the place. Another leather-happy accessory, the loafer is most commonly recognized by its slip-on, laceless, low profile design. Occasionally, tassels appear on the fronts. These puppies are ultra comfy and still super cute.

This trend (all of these shoe types that is ) is probably one of my favorites, and should be yours as well because we, college students, are literally the poster children, the inspiration, and the forefathers of this fabulous footwear. The point, trend, style, or whatever you like to call it, is based on the concept of the “urban academic” playing with classic, scholarly pieces, like an oxford shoe, in ways that may surprise you. The key to pulling off these ah-dorable shoes is

1. Picking a good pair (I’m in love with my Maggie Perf Wingtips by Frye)

and

2. Making the rest of your ensemble work with what’s on your feet.

It’s basically the easiest way to make yourself look put together. You slip on a pair of dark skinny jeans, roll a messy cuff to juuusssssst above your ankle, slip on your shoe du jour (if you’re rocking an oxford, I’m a big proponent for tucking in the laces), grab your laptop, textbooks, and cup of coffee, and you’re on your merry way. But what about loafers and booties you say? They work much in the same way. A bootie is great if you’re, how shall I put it, vertically challenged. The extra height is great and the fact that they are incredibly easy to walk in makes your trek across campus that much easier. The loafer is great if you’re tall, have temperamental feet, or are just a quick mover. Any way you slice it, you’re going to look super cute and oh-so studious.

So, in the increasingly brisk weeks to come, hop on Zappos, Saks, Nieman Marcus, whatever floats your boat (after all, online shopping is what the internet was designed for) and do a little browsing.  You never know what you may come across and what may wind up in your campus mailbox a few days later…

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