Antonio (JP/Tifa Asrianti)
The time has come to hang on to your favorite fashionable footwear from last year - not only because of the looming financial crisis - but because designers and shoe producers have said so.
They said gladiator-inspired shoes and sandals will continue to reign this year with variations on the heels, colors and materials.
Gladiator-style shoes made their debut when international designers introduced Grecian-style dresses and, to complete the look, footwear designers released gladiator shoes.
"Hollywood blockbusters like 300 and Gladiator contributed to the shoe trend. But it really boomed after fashion icons like Kate Moss, the Olsen twins and Sienna Miller wore the shoes," Muhlis Darama, fashion manager at Centro department store, said.
Similarly, Irma Yuliswari, from the shoe brand Fashion Addict, said that gladiator shoes came into the limelight after fashionistas like Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie wore them.
Shoe designer Yongki Komaladi explained that the gladiator shoe trend began as a boot trend.
"Because Indonesia has a tropical climate, we redesigned gladiator boots into gladiator shoes, so they were more airy and comfortable," he said.
Yongki said that the gladiator look would survive this year with variations in heels, material, colors and accessories.
Antonio (JP/Tifa Asrianti)
"This year's gladiator shoes will have crocodile and snake patterns, they will have platforms and wedge heels and metal studs to give them a strong and ferocious look," he said.
Irma and Muhlis shared his opinion.
Irma said that while the gladiator shoe trend had faded in countries that have four seasons, the shoes were still a trend in Indonesia with its year-long summer.
"Gladiator shoes sell like hot cakes. There is still big market demand for gladiator shoes," she said.
Fashion Addict produces around 500 pairs of shoes per month and supplies Pasaraya.
"This year's shoe trend is high heels such as platforms and wedges. So gladiator shoes will reincarnate to a higher level and as a result, could now be worn by career women and mothers," she said.
"There will be variations in the form of new shoe materials and accessories such as batik, snake and crocodile skin and beads," she said.
Ella, from local shoe brand Antonio, said that while she predicted that gladiator shoes would have higher heels she would still retain the simple lines.
"To pick the style, we look at our market; our loyal customers prefer shoes with simple lines," she said.
(JP/R. Berto Wedhatama)
Muhlis said that gladiator shoes could survive not only due to the climate factor but also because the shoes were comfortable for walking and versatile with all kinds of clothing. He said that in 2008 all styles of gladiator shoes had flat soles: the ankle-high, the calf-high and the knee-high.
This year, Muhlis said that gladiator shoes would be transformed into multi-strap shoes with platform heels. While platforms normally have 12- to15-centimeter heels, the height will be adjusted to 9- to12-centimeter for Indonesia.
He said that the high sole would change the slouchy and bohemian feel of the flat gladiator shoes.
"Balenciaga, for example, has already launched gothic-style gladiator shoes with high heels and metal studs and rings," he added.
Muhlis predicted that, as well as the multi-strap shoe, another shoe that would be a hit in Indonesia was the shoe bootie, ankle-high boot shoes.
"As Indonesia has a tropical climate, we cannot wear knee-high boots as they are too hot. So we retained the high heels but for the upper part we just used gladiator-style straps," he said.
He said that his store launches two collections of shoes and bags a year. He said that Centro would launch both shoe types in April, while for the first three months of the year his company had decided on a new shoe trend called a kitten heel.
A kitten heel is a short, slender heel, usually from 3.5- to 5-centimeters high with a slight curve setting the heel in from the edge of the shoe. The style was popularized by Audrey Hepburn.
"We chose it after we saw the summer shoe trends, which will be feminine, sweet and cute," Muhlis said.
He said that several prominent figures that have been caught wearing the kitten heel included US first lady Michelle Obama and French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.
"The kitten heel was first introduced in the *40s and *50s, when teenagers wore kitten heels as practice before wearing stilettos. They can be worn for formal and informal events," he said.
Irma said that the shoes would show a colorful palette this year such as yellow, purple, fuchsia and dark colors. Yongki predicted that the shoe colors would be yellow, sapphire blue, blood red and earth colors. Muhlis said that shoes would be colored ivory, khakis and grey. Ella said that the shoe trend would see bright colors and mixed materials such as lacquer.
Yongki said that future trends would not be set by fashion but more by personal taste.
"When choosing shoes, people should consider their profession, activity and age. If the profession requires modesty, people should choose covered shoes. If the users are active, they should choose low-heeled shoes. Each shoe style has its own market," he said.
