First, we have the glove shoe. You, like myself, may never have heard of this strange footwear before and are probably wondering what I’m actually talking about.
Hospital shoes?
They’re defined by Vogue as, “a shoe that sucks to your foot like a glove, via thin kid leather and an elasticated vamp.”
Put simply, they’re a bit like hair nets, but for your feet. They resemble hospital overshoes, the kind you would see a surgeon don before he goes in for an operation.
Celine style
Despite the seemingly odd appeal, these shoes are slowly creeping into the mainstream. They were first seen on the Spring/Summer 2015 Celine catwalk, in luxurious shades of almond, burgundy, white and even gold. Phoebe Philo styled almost every look at that catwalk with these shoes, forcing people to take note.
Hitting the streets
The shoe has been given the Philo stamp of approval, so they soon hit the fashion world, almost replicating the metallic textures seen on the Celine catwalk. Maryam Nassir Zadeh has released a gold and a black pair, true to name of ‘glove shoe’. These are made of leather with a soft sole, reminding me of a fancy version of ballet pumps.
Martiniano GLOVE SHOE, GOLD. $460.00. Buy them here.
Rachel Comey has twisted up the original design with a ‘Calder’, adding a wooden heel that makes this shoe office ready. These come in more traditional colours of mauve, black and vermillion.
Calder, $345. Find them here.
High street equivalent
These brands may seem out of reach for most of us, but we can’t escape the rise of the glove shoe, as even Topshop have caught onto the trend.
JUNO Soft Ballet Mid Shoes Price: £59.00. Find them here.
Topshop sell a pair of “JUNO soft ballet mid shoes” in gold, black or grey, coming in at £59. These designs are almost a world away from the original Celine kind, but the enclosed toe and snug fit remain.
So, as Christmas is looming and the glove shoe comes in a festive shade of gold… Will you be wearing this?
