My MANy Bags Trendspotting #73

Below: Any guys for 'peep toe' shoe designs for Spring Summer 2010?
(Lad Musician Spring Summer 2010 Mens Collection. I love those shoes!
Especially the black ones.)

Below: Phillip Lim did his take on peep toe shoes as well for his new SS2010 collection which I adore just as much!

Below: Peep toe shoes originates from the women's collections... which goes to show the cross gender influences men and women's designs share these days...
(Balenciaga Women's Cruise 2010... look at the similarity of the women's and men's version of this shoe trend...)

Peeping 'Toms'...Nope..It's Toes!

Men and women's fashion have always shared a cross gender influence on each other. More so on the women's side than men's.

Over the past 2 years, I have noticed men's shoe designs getting more avant garde and bold, with influences from women's peep toe shoes infiltrating into men's arena. I first noticed this trend sharing with the Balenciaga men's take on the ladies' Open Toe Hiking Boots/Gladiator heels for Spring Summer 2008.

Below: Balenciaga first brought my attention to peep toe (open toe) shoes in Spring Summer 2008. It was a male interpretation of the Fall Winter 2007 Women's hiking/gladiator heels/boots as shown below... These shoes are so rare, it never made it to Singapore or many parts of the world. If they do appear, they flew off the racks as soon as they get stocked...

That same season, Prada did her 'peep toe' trainers which did not seem to do very well (evident with markdowns starting at 60% off here in SG during sales that season and still with plenty of sizes left), perhaps too radical for men at that point in time.

Below: I got these Prada Open Toe trainers which at the beginning found it hard to mix and match. But now I love these and find them really versatile and unique. I get compliments every time I wear them. I guess all it takes is to get use to a new style and that takes time...

Pierre Hardy did his take on the peep toe shoes in a hybrid design of sandals and chukka boots which faired better and now a recurring design in his collection to this day.

Below: Pierre Hardy is also one of the more experimental shoe designers to offer peep toe styles for men, as evident in this pair of hybrid sandals and chukka boots. Notice the similarity to Balenciaga's Cruise 2010 Women's shoes shown above...)

Japanese designers embraced this shoe trend and we see 0044 and Giuliano Fujiwara partaking in open toes for SS2008 as well. These brands were perhaps the forerunners that help perpetuate the idea of peep toe shoes for guys.

Below: If anyone were to embrace a new trend first, they have to be the Japanese! 0044 and Giuliano Fujiwara's take on open toe shoe designs in Spring Summer 2008...

Below: Giuliano Fujiwara Spring Summer 2008 collection with those killer shoes!

As the seasons come and go, more and more designers evolved and followed. So till this season, we still see these open toe shoes going strong on the men's runway. Phillip Lim, Lad Musician, Julius did their fair share of peep toe shoe offerings for Spring Summer 2010. I am a huge fan of this version of shoe. Their versatility as both sandal and shoe makes them highly wearable while making a bold and strong statement. Will this trend continue? Will you wear such designs which supposedly originates from the ladies?

Source: Style.com, Fashionsnap