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Slip on this

One thing we’ve been noticing – on the streets and across the blogosphere – is a return to slippers. Not ballet flats, but soft, supple slip-ons, designed to take you in comfort from the cruising the skies to hitting the streets. Take the luxurious leather slippers by Iranian stylists (and sisters), Maryam and Marjan Malakpour, called Newbark. The duo noticed that high heels and narrow boots were taking a toll on the feet of their clients, including the Rolling Stones and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, so they adapted the unisex style of Moroccan slippers for their handmade, extremely comfortable leather slip-ons. They launched late last year on Net-a-Porter and have just landed at Harvey Nichols in Dubai and London.

In a similar style – but with a slightly different philosophy – TOMS shoes, a Santa Monica-based company, started in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie. Troubled by the plight of children he saw in South America who had no shoes when so many Americans threw theirs away, he started making simple canvas slip-ons, based on traditional Argentinian farmers shoes. For every pair of shoes sold, the company donates a pair of shoes to a child who needs them. TOMS are made of recycled materials and are most styles are vegan-friendly, but with an eye to contemporary style and colour palettes, the shoes are also becoming very popular among the young stylists and musicians of cities like LA and Portland. The shoes are available at Hype DC stores around Australia.

The hottest selling colour for both brands is metallic gold. Slip into them!
KM