BANGKOK FABULOUS – Monsoon season is over, so thankfully we don’t have to dress for practicality anymore. We can bring out white shirts without fear of revealing our bras after a heavy downpour. We can wear jeans and not have to consider the possibility that we’ll be left stinking like a wet dog by the end of the day if we can’t get them dry quick enough, and we can wear shoes with no grip.
Yes, Bangkok, let’s talk about shoes.
I like to deliver criticism with a little bit of encouragement, so here goes: Firstly, you’ve been wearing far too many Crocs. Thankfully I see far less of those dreadful claw ones now, but there’s still too many perfectly decent outfits ruined by oversized blue rubber feet.
Secondly, kitten heels are just horrid. Please never wear them again. This is a rule for life, not just this season.
Now for the encouragement: I LOVE the whole Doctor Martins chunky boot paired with something short and geeky. Not only does it help slim your leg, but it looks effortlessly cool. The catwalks are big on this trend for winter, too. A more girlie take on it has been the strappy platform worn with cute ankle socks, as shown by Cynthis Rowley. The result is the same: cute, playful and best paired with oversized specs.
Also, excellent job on the heel wearing, ladies. So many girls in Bangkok work FIERCE shoes, and I wish I could be one of them but, my tiny feet and height make it a scientific impossibility to wear too scary a heel.
There aren’t very many cities in the world where it’s quite so easy to step out in sky high heels. If, like me, you can just about manage shimmying from the bar to the bathroom and back in chunky heels without tottering over, then Bangkok is your city to shine in. Take taxis, take motorcys, and take the escalator; whatever you need to in order to avoid walking. The less steps you have to take, the less chance you’ll fall flat on your face or die of foot ache.
But, as we know, the high heel was shunned on the catwalks this season by some of the world’s top designers (including stiletto queen, Victoria Beckham). So, if you can’t imagine yourself as the kid of girl to wear heels when the sun’s up, fret not. You can still look glamorous.
But rather relying on the trusty ballet pump, why not plump for something with a little more attitude. My favorite shoes in Bangkok at the moment are those flat metallic ones covered in some dangerous looking spikes. Inspired by the likes of Jason Wu’s studded stilettos, Marc Jacobs’ low heeled buckled metallic designs and Derek Lam’s gold Oxford flats, these shoes have got everything going for them: they’re sexy, they’re comfortable and they’re cheap as chips in the alleys of Siam Square.
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Bangkok Fabulous: Where Gaby Doman explores fashion and beauty in the Big Mango. If it’s hot, it’s here. And it’s hot in here.
