JANET WALTHAM

tries the new look for size and meets a
high-flier with her feet on the ground

Grunge is dead and the feminine look is back.
But for once a walk on the wilder side of high
Grunge is dead and the feminine look is back. But
for once a walk on the wilder side of high fashion
doesn't mean sacrificing style for comfort.
tries the new look for size and meets a
high-flier with her feet on the ground
for her job as managing director of a shoe
company - and the evidence is in the
wardrobe of her home in Colston Bassett.
quite in the Imelda Marcos league, but she's
an avid purchaser of shoes.

"In terms of knowing the product, that was my
main area of expertise," she says.

" I know all there is to know about shoes from
the customer's point of view!

"And because I knew what I wanted, I'm in a position
to try to meet customers' needs better.

"Once upon a time you had to choose between
fashion and comfort, unless you were prepared
to pay an enormous amount of money for better
quality, but you shouldn't have to suffer to be
in fashion. In the past comfy shoes have
looked very 'mumsy', but now we are combining
comfort with a high fashion look, with improved
quality and fit, so you can be in style without
crippling yourself."

Her own Dolcis and Cable & Co shops are already
stocking up with the summer's new look.
feminine, with semi-formal style court shoes and
strappy, dressed-up styles. Grunge is dead and
buried and there's a greater emphasis on accessories now.

Exercise

"There's also a move to sports wear as a fashion
statement. Keep-fit and exercise are all the rage,
and it's moving on to the High Street.

Sandals and clogs are part of the trend towards
the athletic, and retro trainers in blue, navy
and black are jogging out of the shops at the moment.

"For later in the year, though, we'll all be in
bright, summery turquoises, clear pinks and lime
greens - Dolce Vita, St Tropez sort of colours."

Psychedelic steps

Shoes for the summer are chunky, funky and
fun in Technicolor tones that are verging on
the psychedelic.

Brilliant matt and polished colour combinations
are teaming up hotfoot with suede and textured
leather, and the palette is diverse and
exciting - you'll need sunglasses just to view
the vibrant cerises, turquoises and lilacs and
the eye-defying primary blues, reds and greens,
although classic navy, whites, chocolates and
blacks are still in style.

Buzz words for the style afficionados include
"patchwork", "layered" and "antiqued". Seventies
inspiration combines with Nineties design; highly
polished leather and suede uppers mix with clumpy
stacked platform soles of cork, rope or wood.

Wooden-soled shoes are one of the biggest fashion
stories of the summer. And it's forward to the past
again with the classic mule - either covered or
with a peep-toe, it is the essential for the
sunny season. Grunge is dead and the feminine
look is back. But for once a walk on the
wilder side of high fashion doesn't mean sacrificing
style for comfort.

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