Flash Those Shoes for Fashion

When it comes to shoes, a little ostentation never hurts, says London style expert Alexandra Shulman. "Shoes that don't, on the face of it, go with anything do, in fact, go with almost everything," she says.

Shulman gives as an example a pair of flamboyant mules from Miu Miu that combine acid yellow with snakeskin ("sounds horrible, looks great"). That sort of footwear "will jazz up a simple navy skirt and top, and also work with the many prints and textured fabrics that are around."

And, however odd it may sound, Shulman says, heavy, clumsy-looking footwear such as clogs, boots, and platform slides are good bets to lead the fashion parade this summer. She does concede that "it's not always easy to find unconventional shoes."

But the trend is definitely away from the traditional. Shoes on the colorful side "look a lot better than a simple pair of black kitten heels, which feel a bit matronly when teamed with 'naive' fabrics such as felt and linen," she says.