The more time passes, the more I appreciate shoes with a strong style statement. I particularly like the creations from Yuketen , sometimes strange but which fascinate me with their audacity.
For these nuggets, I have three pairs in my bag that stand out a little from the crowd, each in their own way.
Coral colored sneakers -Shoes Like Pottery
I came across some coral/pale pink Sperry sneakers a few months ago. Curious, I ordered them, then returned them: the quality was not up to par and the shape was a bit too haphazard.
But the idea of sneakers in this shade of color stayed in my head.
I found some, with much higher quality, at Shoes Like Pottery.
This is a Japanese brand that produces their sneakers at the Moonstar Factory in Kurume, Japan.
This factory is known for its mastery of vulcanization of rubber soles. In concrete terms, the sole is dense, thick, and therefore more durable.
You will easily recognize the Shoes Like Pottery models by their stamp and their turquoise blue colored sole.
The stamp bearing the brand logo.
The shape, inspired by the Converse Chuck Taylor Low, will not disorient you.
This color , like a faded pink that's not quite pink either , seems to me to be a good way to gently change from the white sneaker that you probably already own.
Try it with blue, green or gray pants.
With beige or camel? It can make sparks.
At €135, it's twice as expensive as a classic pair of Converse, but the gain in quality and durability is worth the investment in my eyes.
Contrasting Brogue Derby - Tricker's
- Derby brogues are cool.
- Brown goes very well with green.
What if we mixed the two?
Here's the result: these brogues are made of brown leather, with a slightly grained appearance, and green cotton twill , which is visibly rather thick.
Mounted on a good Dainite rubber sole with cleats , with a very round shape and metal eyelets, we are definitely on a very English shoe, with a marked country style.
A suitable sole when the weather is unpredictable.
Tricker's is a beautiful English brand that makes all its shoes in the Northampton area, England. This pair can be found on the dedicated "outlet" section of their eshop, with a discount of around 30/40% compared to the initial price.
Of course, these are not shoes to wear with classic dress outfits.
On the other hand, I can see them perfectly with a casual suit, a slightly vintage beige chino or even a nice bleached jean.
In short, the ideal pair to combine formal and casual .
Floral print sneakers - Buttero
We appreciate Buttero at BonneGueule, with whom we collaborated five years ago .
And I personally really like Buttero.
In addition to work on quality , the brand has an appreciable style touch in a sneaker market that has smoothed out in recent years, with many models that look the same.
More brown and green.
On these sneakers, you will find:
- A brown suede upper decorated with a floral print in green tones. I really like this kind of print that is aesthetically different and can be tamed with a little boldness.
- A rubber insert going around the shoe. I really like this aesthetic detail which gives a dynamic line and which is also found on the Asahi Belted Lo model .
- A sole with character, decorated with a sort of mini-spikes on the sides and studs underneath.
Yes, studs like on a commando sole. And yes, it's a Margom sole.
These sneakers embrace their slightly rootsy , adventurous side, while remaining urban.
In any case, I find that the proportions, colours and materials are particularly well balanced here.
They will be perfect with casual and workwear pants, including jeans, chinos, cargo pants, fatigue pants, carpenter pants, etc.
With wool flannel pants, I think there's a way to do something really cool too.
This pair, discounted to €250 at the time of writing, remains rather expensive, but that's the price to pay for quality and creativity.
