FOOTWEAR FOCUS ROAD TEST Cantina by


Emma Cooke waves goodbye to blisters and keeps her feet happy with Cara London’s new leopard print slider style, Cantina


T


he times, they are a changin’. It used to be that each decade had a clear-cut, defined fashion-sense. The swinging


Sixties loved their bold prints and mini skirts, the hippie Seventies their psychedelic blouses and hemp sandals. Now, the defining feature of this decade’s fashion, is the ability to take styles from any era we fancy and play with them as we choose.


Love the Sixties? We’ve taken those A-line dresses and


redone them in neon colours and monochrome checks. The Seventies are back this season, pairing flared jeans with clean-lined t-shirts and super-straight hair. And, the Nineties. Don’t even get me started on the Nineties. Gasped over in horror as the decade that good style forgot, it’s now back with a vengeance, and we’re all left wondering how we could ever have doubted it.


Chokers now instantly make every outfit cool girl-worthy and hair is


being dyed every colour of the rainbow - this writer fully admits to going pink last summer, and having every intention of doing so again (It makes my bathtub look like I murdered Mr Blobby in it, and my hair look like a young Kate Moss). But, the biggest change to our fashion landscape is that sliders, Birkenstocks and chunky heeled sandals are officially here to stay, and our feet can all breathe a collective sigh of relief.


Forget blisters and twisted ankles. The trendiest thing you can do for your


feet, is put them in shoes designed to keep them happy. Ever since 90s shoes came back into fashion, my begrudging nod to uncomfortable yet oh-so-pretty shoes went out the window. I’m now thoroughly spoilt - if something ain’t comfortable, it’s not going anywhere near me.


Cara London is a brand that embodies this. Established in Victorian times,


they’ve seen all the trends come and go through the ages, from 50s Mary Janes right through to the present day. Now, in 2015, they’ve put together a killer selection of 90s-esque shoes to go with their usual classic styles, updated for the modern day. Meaning, when asked to roadtest one of their new SS15 styles, it was a tough decision. So many beautiful, comfortable shoes. The allergic-to-pain fashionista’s dream.


16 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • JUNE/JULY 2015


In the end, it was the Cantina sandal that made my heart sing. Cut in the slider sandal-style that would look at home on the feet of any Spice Girl-aficionado, it had been re-imagined in camel tones and clean cut suede, with a flash of leopard print going across the toes. A thoroughly Modern Millie of a 90s shoe.


Created in Italy, but designed for British feet, the quality of the


craftsmanship shows through in every line of this sandal. It’s all clean lines and simple design details that make the style all the more punchy - without getting into butterfly clips and body glitter fancy dress territory. Ultra comfortable, it even sneaks in a bit of extra height with a slight platform sole. Something my 5ft 2” frame is very grateful for, and my toes are entirely unaware of - my favourite combination.


Updating throwback styles for present day is no mean


feat. One wrong colour combination and suddenly you’ve gone past 90s-flavour trendsetter zone, straight into the land of outdated and outmoded crimped hair and popper pants. Cara London’s managed to stay smack bang in the first


camp with all their 90s inspired styles, so (bucket) hats off to them. The Cantina is everything that’s great about modern day fashion: it’s


playful, it’s nostalgically retro without being dated, and most important of all, it doesn’t take an on-trend payment in blisters.


Details:


Style: - Cantina. Sports sole footbed sandal with suede sock, grey suede and leopard effect cow hide feature straps. Light weight and comfortable with a simple buckle fastening. Also available in black suede and monochrome zebra cow hide.


Cost price: £22.00 - RRP: £55.00


Web: caralondon.co.uk Tel: 01491 872044 Email: chloe.james@carawholesale.com


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