slippers @net-a-porter.com
I’m pretty sure that a percentage of us are now refuseniks when it comes to dressing the way we once did, pre-lockdown. This includes trouser deniers (“Jeans? I don’t know her…”), belt haters (#saveourelasticatedwaists!) and those who would rather not subject their precious tootsies to a hard sole ever again. For some of us, shoes, as we knew them, died mid-March.
So how have we been getting by? Mainly, it has to be said, in ugly shoes. In my case, flip-flops that, despite being 20 years old, still manage to hang together by means of a between-toe strip that resembles prehistoric man’s first thong, or Uggs, which look like an old toy dachshund whose entire face has fallen off. Going barefoot has, however, felt a step too far. An admission that, as you pace your kitchen for the nth time trying to avoid the wi-fi blackspot, you’ve totally given up on real life.
So the time has come to brush the bits of Lego from your ugly shoe of choice and embrace autumn’s latest trend: the luxury slipper. I know what you’re thinking: is it possible to do this without succumbing to codgerdom? Fashion brands such as Gucci and Versace have provided an answer and it’s a gold-plated ‘yes’. In these shoes, your feet will look as if they have been gift wrapped by the Christmas department at Fortnum & Mason. You will feel you are sliding about in yards of very soft kitten fur. The luxe slipper is a great option for anyone who doesn’t mind parting with a fistful of cash (and channelling Hugh Hefner).
Pre-covid, the pyjama dressing and loungewear trend looked sexy and subversive, a return to a more old-fashioned kind of glamour. Even now, despite having somewhat lost that sheen, you can make this sort of day-night dressing feel a bit special. In today’s shoot, I’ve attempted to bridge two worlds: a bar-ready look on the top half and an I’m-having-a-very-fancy-Zoom catchup on the bottom half. In a shiny disco shirt (last outing: New Year’s Eve) and some skinny jeans, I’m one half André Leon Talley, one half DJ Khaled.
Wearing slippers this fancy – faux velvet with faux embroidery; think “Henry VIII on a yacht with Jay and Bey” – means you’re always dressing up rather than down. When I slip them on, I feel ready for anything. But also … not. I might even just stay home, you know. Which is the luxe slipper all over.
• Priya wears slippers, £89, kurtgeiger.com. Jeans and shirt, Priya’s own
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