The world of men’s footwear has felt a bit like the Wild West for a few years now. In some ways, the weirder the trend, the more feverishly guys have flocked to it. Sneakers jumped off the track—designers gave us everything from ugly-chic sneakers to sock sneakers to ultra-technical mountaineering sneakers. Loafers, not wanting to be left out of the conversation, went a bit outlandish, too. Then, last summer, at least a few stylish dudes started wearing water shoes and ballet slippers.
It looks as if one designer—Givenchy creative director and Alyx founder Matthew Williams—has been quietly studying every little micro-trend. He has seemingly pulled the past few style cycles into one advanced-level shoe: the Alyx Mono Slip.
Unveiled as part of Alyx’s spring-summer 2021 collection, this is a brand new style from Williams. The luxury label is perhaps best known for stylishly rugged boots and its unmistakable “chest rig” bag, so this slipper feels like new territory. The Mono Slip pulls aesthetic nods from across the board: part water shoe and part ballet slipper, with a heavy dose of rugged tech in the mix. The sleek matte black and white colors give it an air of dressiness, too. The design is constructed from one singular piece of EVA foam, with intricate ridges and crevices covering the outside silhouette. (In that way, it’s not unlike Kanye’s Yeezy Foam Runner.) This seamless molded construction means extreme comfort within a sleek form, a winning combo for anyone looking for a shoe that can be worn in and outside of the house. The ultimate feat here, though, is that Williams has managed to jam all these things into one design and still make it feel harmonious and wearable.
Everything that Williams creates has a slight technical edge, a quality that tends to make his handiwork feel tactical and forward-thinking without veering into full-on cosplay. The Mono Slip is another victorious notch in his heavy-duty, rollercoaster-bucked belt. As warmer weather (and hopefully a return to semi-normal life) waits around the corner, this is the shoe you’d be fit to wear: extremely comfortable, stylishly sharp with just the right amount of innovative flair.
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