December 29, 2021 at 06:00AM
Where would we be without great shoes, hey? Would Carrie even be Carrie? I guess we survived the last few years in basically just slippers and trainers— but if anything that has only increased our appreciation of a fabulous shoe. And from the looks of the 2022 collections, we’re not alone. For a while fashion embraced the lower-key way of life, even when we were (relatively) back to normal it was comfortable chunky boots or the latest New Balances only. Luckily, it seems that enough time has gone by for us to come out the other side of this footwear malaise— restrictions or no restrictions.
For SS22, footwear has gone way past comfort and into full on shoes for shoes sake territory. We’re talking bows, points, prints, crystals and platforms. What’s that saying— the higher the heel, the closer to heaven? That sounds about right for 2022. From Versace’s Barbie-like platform mary-jane’s setting off a huge trend which is continuing into the new year, to the latest ‘most coveted’ fashion girl shoe— Saint Laurent’s Vesper slingbacks.
Hannah Almassi reports in our SS22 trend guide that the new season is all about extremes and this applies to shoes too. Toes are either seriously pointed or squared off, flats are very flat (yes ballet pumps are here to stay) and platforms are very high (on everything from brogues to boots). If comfort is your thing, don’t be too put off though— there’s even an extreme nod to that with Prada’s cloud-like ski boots triggering an all-things-soft-and-squishy obsession.
If all this excites you as much as it does us, keep scrolling to see and shop the 7 most important shoe trends of 2022…
Opening Image: @threadsstyling
Up next: The 8 Biggest Handbag Trends We’re Bookmarking for 2022
Author Emily Dawes | Whowhatwear
Selected by CWC