May We Present the "Ugly" Shoes to End All "Ugly" Shoes

Welcome to Runway Matters, where we're delivering notes straight from the runway so you can quickly digest the most important trends and noteworthy moments from the F/W 18 shows.

Leather, lace… and orthopedic-style shoes? Christopher Kane’s fall collection adhered to what fashion does best: taking elements from extreme ends of the style spectrum and fusing them into a singular statement. If we’re measuring the success of a fashion collection by its ability to subvert our long-held standards of cool, then Christopher Kane passed with flying colors. It put practical value in the seemingly un-fashion and functionality in the seemingly extravagant. In other words, the classic mixing of high and low—a fashion phenomenon as old as time.

Here’s a fun game for you: Choose the most unglamorous and quotidian object you can think of. There—it just became the next cult item. You might be asking yourself how something so unassuming lends itself so well to being transformed into the epitome of cool, and the answer just might lie in this collection’s footwear choices, which just kicked the "ugly” shoe trend into high gear. This and every notable moment from the runway, decoded here.

Orthopedic Shoes Just Became Cool

That’s right—you’re about to give your grandpa’s orthopedic shoes a second glance. As if sending actual Crocs down the runway last season was not enough of a risk for the designer, Kane collaborated with orthopedic shoe company Z-Coil to bring the next generation of the “ugly” shoes to life. Step aside, dad sneakers. There’s a new shoe style that’s bound to garner loads of attention (and inevitable controversy, too).

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(Image credit: Christopher Kane)

Rainbow Jewel-Encrusted Everything

Whoever said the extravagant was overdone in fashion? The KiraKira+-friendly looks Christopher Kane showed prove that there is still a place for the whimsical on the runway (and in our hearts). From this dazzling jacket to the equally glamorous cage constructions of jewels, this collection has us embracing all things glittery. Curiously, though, the flamboyantly colorful accoutrements aren’t taking away from the clothes’ believability. They’re special, no doubt, but somehow never cross the line into over-the-top.

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(Image credit: Christopher Kane)

Power Silhouette: Rounded Shoulders

Dramatically rounded shoulders juxtaposed by a structured, nipped-in waist are a vague reference to ’80s-era power dressing. From the decade that’s slowly been overtaking the others in terms of relevance comes an ever-greater appeal for an exaggerated silhouette. This isn’t just boardroom-approved power suiting, to be sure. This combination of leather and camel tones is designed to show a woman’s “strength of character,” says Kane. Clothing as a form of armor indeed.

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(Image credit: Christopher Kane)
Senior Editor

Anna is an editor on the fashion team at Who What Wear and has been at the company for over five years, having begun her career in the Los Angeles office before relocating to New York, where she's currently based. Having always been passionate about pursuing a career in fashion, she built up her experience interning at the likes of Michael Kors, A.L.C., and College Fashionista before joining the team as a post-graduate assistant editor. Anna has penned a number of interviews with Who What Wear's cover stars over the years, including A-listers Megan Fox, Issa Rae, and Emma Chamberlain. She's earned a reputation for scouting new and emerging brands from across the globe and championing them to our audience of millions. While fashion is her main wheelhouse, Anna led the launch of WWW Travels last year, a new lifestyle vertical that highlights all things travel through a fashion-person lens. She is passionate about shopping vintage, whether it be at a favorite local outpost or an on-the-road discovery, and has amassed a wardrobe full of unique finds. When she's not writing, you can find her shooting street imagery on her film camera, attempting to learn a fourth or fifth language, or planning her next trip across the globe.