As I mentioned in a recent Spring footwear report, slip-on sneakers are very much on trend. They’re like a more casual and sporty version of a loafer or laceless flat oxford. They work well with orthotic inserts or an additional cushioning insole, so they can be extra kind to your feet. 

Slip-on sneakers are available in leather, pleather or canvas. Solid or patterned. Studded, textured, metallic or smooth. Most of the toe-boxes are round, but some have a pointy toe and the occasional metal toe cap. The soles are usually a little chunky and a shade of white, but styles with black soles do exist. Slip-on sneakers are also available with platform heels, much like the flatforms some of us wore back in the ‘90s. 

I love the way slip-on sneakers have been styled in the outfits below, all sans socks. They are excellent with boyfriend jeans, especially with styles that are cropped a little shorter. They look great with slouchy cargo pocket pants and khakis that are rolled at the hem. I love them with shorts, skinnies and straight legs. They also look super cute with a shorter skirt. 

Slip-on sneakers can look stumpy and dumpy because they are flat and high vamped. Yet there are ways to create a longer leg line with the style:

• Create a low contrast between your skin tone and the sneaker when sporting them with bare legs. 
• Wear them in a colour that is low contrast, or self-colour, to regular length skinnies and tapered trousers. 
• Shorten the hemline of skirts and dresses.
• Wear them with a column of colour. 
• Partially tuck your top to create structure.
• Or just wear them, and don’t be overly concerned with the effect they have on your leg line.

The examples here are all high-end, but slip-on sneakers like Vans are available at a fraction of the price and do a great job of creating the look. 

I like the slip-on sneaker, and want to add one to my wardrobe for Summer. They look wonderfully crisp, simple, comfortable and practical. No laces and no fuss. Plus I adore the big white sole. I’m not yet sure about the colour, but I’m thinking along the lines of white, a pastel, a metallic, or possibly a pattern in black and white. I’ll also be encouraging my clients who lead a casual lifestyle to explore the trend. They are a great option for Mums on the go, or for travelling, or any situation where you need to throw them on at the speed of light. Plus they can create an interesting juxtaposition when worn with dressier outfit pieces.

Over to you. What do you think of slip-on sneakers? Will you be wearing them?

Brooklyn gets its own Fashion Week, Suzy Menkes leaves The International New York Times, Prada is taking over Harrods in May, and more style news from around the world.

• Suzy Menkes, who was Style Editor of The International New York Times for 25 years, has been named International Vogue Editor at Condé Nast International. 
• If you’re in Paris this month, then pop by the “Coming Into Fashion, a Century of Photography at Condé Nast” exhibition.
• May will be Prada month at Harrods, with an exhibition and a capsule collection created especially for the iconic British department store.
• As we mentioned in yesterday’s Link Love, our vote for the most creative fashion show goes to Chanel with Mr. Lagerfeld’s supermarket concept.
• This one’s for the fans of simple graphic tees: Pharrell Williams is launching a limited edition collection with Uniqlo.
• Brooklyn is launching its own Fashion Week. The first edition kicks off on March, 13th with eco-friendly collections.
• If you loved the Orla Kiely for Clarks Summer 2014 collection, then you’re in for a treat again come Fall.
• A Goldman Sachs report predicts that “high-rise pants are emerging as the apparel product of the decade“.
• H&M is catering to the brides-to-be on a budget with a Grecian-style wedding gown that retails for £59.99 (about $100).
• Here’s a fun sneak peek of Amy Poehler starring in a series of upcoming Old Navy commercials. 

Fun Fashion Fact

Nowadays fashion plates are collectibles, but from the late 1700s to about 200 years later these illustrations were distributed via women’s periodicals to illustrate the popular styles, fabrics and embellishments of the time.

This ensemble was inspired by one of Nikki’s outfits, which we featured earlier this week. It’s not to be confused with the boxy shirt under boxy sweater ensemble because in this case the sweater is cropped. Plus, you have the option of combining a fitted shirt with a fitted cropped sweater; or keeping both layers fairly fluid or oversized. 

Take a peek at some street style examples of the ensemble: 

• Cropped turtleneck sweater with cigarette pants and booties.
• Cropped boat neck sweater with dressy straight legs.
• Crisscross cropped sweater with short shorts and flat moto boots.
• Cropped crew neck sweater with leather leggings.
• Cropped oversized sweatshirt with tunic shirt and pencil skirt.
• Cropped crew neck with sleek blouse and leather leggings.
• Cropped crew neck with denim short shorts and velvet blazer.

All the examples above show a high contrast between the shirt and cropped sweater (generally a black cropped sweater over a white shirt). But this is just one way to sport the look. Creating a low contrast between the two layers creates a stronger vertical integrity by eliminating the cutting horizontal line. I’ve shown a dark low-contrast combination on the left (the black cropped sweater over the ink polka dot shirt), but wearing a cropped sweater in a light color like cream or blush over a white shirt is another way to go. 

Here are the components of the ensemble:

Shirt: As I mentioned, you can choose a fitted or boxy button-down shirt, and create a high or low contrast with the cropped sweater. Regular shirt lengths work well. Tunic length shirts are more dramatic. Soft blouses, instead of stiff shirts are another possibility. Wear them untucked. 

Cropped Sweater: Choose to create a high or low contrast with the shirt. A fine gauge knit will keep your silhouette sleek, but a chunky knit is not taboo. The sweater must be extra short to create the desired effect. Cropped sweaters come in many variations so be mindful of the neckline and hem shape. Choose a wider and lower neckline if you have a shorter neck. A cropped sweater with a high-low hemline creates a more gentle horizontally cutting line than a straight hem. 

Bottoms: Choose a bottom that works with the outfit. Black slim-fit trousers are a slam dunk, as are a pair of straight leg jeans or a black pencil skirt. White jeans would also look great, and so would a pair of relaxed skinnies or boyfriend jeans. 

Topper: The topper is optional. Think moto jacket, blazer, tuxedo jacket, trench coat or wool coat. 

Footwear: Choose footwear to match the bottoms. Pumps are great with a pencil skirt and jeans. Booties are fab with boyfriend jeans and trousers. Loafers are great with jeans. Pointy toe flats are nice with the skirt and slim-fit trousers. 

Accessories: Choose a bag that works with the outfit. Leave off the belt and scarf. Add jewellery, eyewear and watch as desired. 

This outfit combination is not about creating conventionally flattering proportions. It is an example of just enough structure being sufficiently flattering, on trend, and just as stylish. Above all, it’s fun to play around with proportions and come up with creative outfit combinations. 

We saw lots of floral prints in the F/W 2014 shows, but flowers are big for Spring and Summer too. If you’re looking for inspiration, Popsugar has an overview of fresh ways to wear Spring florals. Delicate florals, mismatched florals, dark florals, brush stroked florals… Fashionising sums up even more floral trends we can start wearing right now.

It goes without saying that floral patterns are not just for the ladies. “Dark florals will be blooming” in men’s fashion this Summer, says The Guardian. In a second article they have tips for the blokes who’d like to sport the floral look.

If you’re into casual floral patterned footwear, then the Skidgrip Tropics sneaker by Converse with pink hibiscus flowers might appeal to you. Or how about this upscale roses-print leather and suede Givenchy sandal inspired by the classic Birkenstock?

Fab Links from Our Members

Caro wants to introduce us to Martin Grant, an Australian designer living and working in Paris. She thought it interesting what he says about Lee Radziwill.

“… That you will feel the validation of your external beauty but also get to the deeper business of being beautiful inside. There is no shade to that beauty.” SarahTheWhite was moved and inspired by Lupita Nyong’o’s acceptance speech at the seventh annual Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon.

Annagybe enjoyed watching Bill Cunningham’s video on Winter white outerwear.

Do you wash new clothes before wearing them? HiggsMistress alway did with undies and swimwear but after reading this article she’ll be adding new clothing to the laundry basket too.

We’ve long heard how street style has influenced designers but this Guardian article states that Instagram photography influences fashion, with the colors produced through the popular filters possibly influencing designers’ palettes. Vildy thinks they’re on to something new happening here that is much more interesting than Pantone.

Texstyle found this article, explaining that magnesium and other mineral deficiencies could be causing grey hair, fascinating.

Karl Lagerfeld took us grocery shopping with the Fall 2014 Chanel show. Angie thought it was brilliantly creative and interpreted the message as: Wear Chanel anywhere and in any way you want to wear it. This is 2014. Fashion and style are entirely what YOU make of it.

Antoinette would like to share this NY Magazine article about a new fashion term that has been popping up on the internet a lot lately: “normcore“.

This infographic by Mediarun of all Best Actress Oscar Dresses since 1929 shows how styles have changed over the decades. Laurinda was surprised that designers weren’t considered so notable early on, and quite a few winners did not show up for their awards.

Modgrl loved Jean Paul Gaultier’s runway show that included people of all ages sporting a totally ’80s punk look. She could absolutely see herself wearing many of these pieces individually.

Greg finally found a body shape classification chart that works for him. He says he’s transitioning from the Bart to the Vortex over time.