subject: Step Into Fashion This Winter [print this page] Finding fashionable footwear that goes with your outfit is difficult, especially if you happen to be a man. Although women seem to have an ostensibly endless range of shoes to pick from, when it comes to men's clothing, shoes either seem to fall into the smart or casual categories, with little in between. There are, of course, some notable exceptions, but such shoes tend to be either from the exclusive fashion houses (and therefore well beyond the reach of most people), or from a particular niche designer that caters for a certain interest group. Goths, rap artists and surfers all seem to have their own fashion labels, dedicated to providing clothes suitable, but the man on the street doesn't usually have such luxury.
However, things are thankfully beginning to change and there are now many more designers and fashion houses that are catering for men who want to unite the casual with the stylish. This new trend had been encouraged by the recent upsurge in men's designer fashion and the willingness of more men to start experimenting with styles. Indeed, one of the major trends in the fashion industry over the past twenty years has been this resurgence of what is now being christened as the 'Age of Elegance'. Embracing the smart styles, sartorially tailored cuts and avant-garde experimentation of the thirties and forties, men's fashion has made great leaps forward and is now combing the best of the old with the verve of the new.
Colours are an important factor and this has led to some bold new designs which have been reflected on some of the exciting footwear that's emerged recently. Gone is the old occupation with black, white or brown and in its place we see a new love of bold colours. Texture is also significant and many more men are straying away from the traditional favourites of simple cottons, velvets and leathers, to look at interesting materials like suede and nubuck that had lost their appeal many years before. This willingness to embrace exciting new colours, styles and designs has been met with a fantastic cross-cultural fertilisation of ideas that has seen inspiration drawn from around the world, meeting in an aesthetic melange of epic proportions.
The drama of the change has been shown in the wide number of internet blogs that have developed to reflect the new changes in men's fashion and the popularity of these is testament to the democratising influence of the internet in bringing a new generation of men to the altar of fashion.
