Introduction

The importance of good footwear can never be understated. There are a long list of reasons of why you should equip yourself with the best quality shoes, and here is a brief overview:

• Practicality (one) ? unless you are very unfortunate, or awfully lazy, your feet carry you everywhere. You need them in good health; and well crafted, perfectly fitting shoes will help protect your feet in the long run.
• Practicality (two) ? with or without global warming, the British weather is unpredictable at the best of times. With proper care and attention, high quality shoes can last for years and tackle all elements.
• Style ? shoes are the foundation of your outfit, and should be the first thing you choose when putting an outfit together. Make sure you have your staple Oxfords, brogues, boots and trainers in the best quality you can afford – they can make or break an outfit instantly.
• Confidence ? very much integral to the point above, if your shoes are great, then it lifts the rest of your clothes to a greater level of aesthetic. Needless to say, the ladies love them too!

Footwear Evolution: Hybrid Styles

Over the past couple of seasons, here at FashionBeans we have noticed a distinct trend developing within the realm of men’s footwear: hybrid shoes. With the fashion industry constantly pushing boundaries and each designer/brand looking to differentiate themselves from the competition, there has been an increase in footwear that straddles the line between two or more traditional silhouettes.

Such is the popularity of the hybrid footwear at the moment, that there is a plethora of options to choose from, both designer and high street. There are subtle blends of established footwear – such as brogue perforations being incorporated on Derbies, Oxfords and even Chelsea boots – to much more obvious fusions of different shoe silhouettes, such as traditional trainer soles being almost ‘cut and pasted’ onto some styles.