Last season was all about the ankle bootie; this season is all about the Oxford. Once again it’s not quite a pump and not quite a boot, but somewhere in between. I thoroughly enjoy fashion trends that take a masculine silhouette and give them a feminine twist. This sassy lace-up is the perfect example and forms part of the androgynous trend you’ll be seeing more of as the season unfolds. Ideal for knee-length dresses, skirts, skinnies, suits, jeans and wide leg pants, the old-school Oxford will give any Autumn outfit a completely new and hip edge. If you fancy the style, it’s definitely the shoe to make an existing business casual wardrobe pop.

This particular ped is a 70’s flashback. I remember my late mother gliding through the streets of Hong Kong in a mushroom suede and patent pair much like the Steve Madden Oxford Pump (top left below). How she strode through a bustling city in shoes like that with children in tow and crowds to dodge remains a mystery. Impressive. As soaring heel heights continue to trend, my fashion hope is that this somewhat conservative looking “it” shoe comes out with a conservative heel height. A stable 2-inch stacked heel would be fab. My eyes are peeled!