By Isabel Castrejón Pascacio
To follow trends and style rules is always a slippery slope. Not everything works for everyone and you might end up regretting dressing a certain way years later. Let’s be clear, cringe is inevitable, there will come a point when what you wore once might be considered passé, but focusing on developing personal style should be your main goal.
But what happens when your lifestyle or the city you live in forces you to follow a trend?
There is this theory posted by stylist and creator Allison Bornstein that’s called The Wrong Shoe Theory. It consists of picking the most unexpected shoe to finish off a look, giving it more personality. “In working with clients and breaking down the style of our favorite celebrities, I realized what makes a look feel interesting and personal is the addition of accessories that feel slightly ‘off’ or mismatched with the vibe of the rest of the look,” says the stylist. Say, for example, you’re headed to dinner in a pair of trousers, a silk button-down. Instinctively, you may reach for a ballet flat or maybe a kitten heel. But what if you reached for something different? Something that feels, well, wrong? To Allison, that “wrong shoe” would be a vibrantly colored sneaker. To you, it might be a thong sandal. There’s a chance you hate the combination, in which case, skip it! But there’s also a chance that the “wrong shoe” is the secret ingredient that’s been missing, the accessory that makes your outfit feel more like you.
For those who are unsure where to start, the stylist suggests trying on the shoe that you would usually wear with a specific outfit, before opting for another pair that goes completely against your first instinct. “If you love your first-instinct shoe, great,” she says. “But this just forces you to mix it up and try something that might totally blow your mind and change the entire look.” This concept made me immediately think of us San Miguel residents; by living in this beautiful place, are we inherently forced to use The Wrong Shoe Theory?
Wearing shoes that are comfortable to walk in through the cobblestones and hills of downtown San Miguel is what unequivocally differentiates a local from a tourist. I can’t remember how many times I’ve seen young women struggling to go down Umarán street in the most beautiful shoes or guys walking uncomfortably through our beautiful streets in leather cowboy boots. It’s just not worth it! Not only will you have a horrible time slipping, tripping, and slowing everyone down, you will for sure ruin your fancy shoes. Save them for the big concrete cities.
Locals are constantly having conversations about what the best shoe to walk around town is. It is a never ending search. Some of you might say Birkenstocks, others might say a good pair of sneakers or sandals from a local shop such as San Miguel Shoes; but what is certainly true is that a pair of heels, flats or heeled boots are never the answer. The reality is that even if we’re going to a dinner with friends at our favorite gourmet restaurant, a concert gala, or a New Year’s Eve Dinner, we’re constantly having to adapt our outfits to the shoes we have to wear, which can sometimes get frustrating.
What’s the solution? I don’t think I really have one. What I can say is that if we now know that there’s a theory that plays with this concept of juxtaposing your outfit from your shoes, we can take advantage of that and consciously wear the wrong shoe. If our shoe choice should be the opposite aesthetic and vibe than the rest of the outfit, let’s own it! This will create contrast, and we know contrast is what makes an outfit dynamic and therefore interesting. So next time we’re walking around our stunning town in a dress and cloud foam shoes, thinking we might be committing a fashion faux pas, just know that there are fashion stylists in New York City analyzing our interesting choices.
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