SHOW SHOES DILEMMA

For anyone in the fashion industry, deciding what to wear to exhibitions can be a bit of a minefield.

Under any other circumstances, travelling to and from airports, international flights and pacing the halls of an exhibition hall for two or three days would demand the utmost in comfort with style coming a not-so-close second. But when the show in question is focused around the latest trends, there’s no denying that those exhibition aisles can become a bit of a catwalk.

For those of us in the footwear industry, it’s a particular dilemma. I remember in my very early days of travelling to Micam for FE, I insisted on wearing my most towering heels because I felt it was only appropriate in my capacity of acting editor of a footwear trade magazine, and because I had the glorious naivety of one who had never been to an exhibition before.

Two days later, having covered most of the floor space in the entire Fiera Milano and then some, I resorted to wearing a free sample which I had been given earlier in the day – a lime green pair of Crocs which were several sizes too big. Of course, these days, Crocs are ubiquitous but, back in 2007, the brand was still in its infancy, and my clomping along in my lime green, holey, oversized shoes drew several points, stares and sniggers from Italians as I made my weary way back to the hotel on Milan’s underground system.

Five years on, I should surely know better. With BBB looming, soon to be followed by Chic, Moda and GDS, I am set to wear out some shoe leather in several exhibition halls across Europe. I still maintain that heels are a non-negotiable, but these days I bring my own stashed-away pair of flats, just in case…

Christina x