The Many Faces of the Ankle Strap
by Elena Chen
Fashion isn’t about necessity. It has never been. It has been about the unnecessary, the extravagant, the statement. Clothing as apparel means something different to fashion. The value of that which is fashionable is not in its wearability or functionality but rather in the proclamations, intentional or otherwise, about the time of its creation as communicated through the specific arrangements of fabrics and stitching bound to context. This is to say that in fashion, it is ever changing what particular tones of fuschia mean, how vinyl used on jackets and shoes differ and why perms iconic to the 80s have yet to return. Fashion is about issuing opinions and directing the perception of others as much as possible. An item that has encased so many such opinions is the ankle-strap shoe. A strap hinging on the shoe counter wrapped above or below around the ankle, the ankle-strap has been redone and reinvented over the years: its timeless form and continuous versatility adopted by designers and constitutive in trends. In commemoration and celebration of the ankle-strap, this post is an archival attempt dedicated to its many faces, on feet.
Ankle straps have made an appearance as early as the 1910s…
Through to the 40s…
And the 70s, with signature platform patent leather heels having their moment…
The fastening is contrasted with the fragility that comes with its tight grasp. Around the ankle, marking a point of fragmentation, both in the elongation of the leg and in the separation of the foot from the rest of the body. Fast forward to the 2010s, and we see some of the boldest ankle-straps were shown in Vivienne Westwood’s collections: chunky platforms and ribbon ankle fastens in her 2012 AW Ready-To-Wear collection.
Valentino Fall 2012
It’s made a new tradition.
Christian Dior FW12
And blurred boundaries.
Meadham Kirchhoff FW12
It has dramatic flair.
Dolce & Gabbana FW13
And plays with perception.
Giambattista Valli FW13
It is elegant.
Marques’Almeida FW14
But innocent.
Simone Rocha SS14
Unexpectedly shaping.
Christian Dior SS14 Couture
Somewhat subversive.
Hugo Boss FW15
Delicate.
Giamba SS15
Maison Margiela FW15 Couture
Streetsmart.
Versace FW17
Embellishing.
Marni FW17
Suggestive.
Versus SS18
Declarative.
Mary Katrantzou SS18
Surprise.
At times it’s escaped definition. But it has always been integral to its shoe. The way it informs the silhouette and structure, the curvature it places on the leg, and the definition it provides to an entire ensemble.
What do we make of the ankle-strap? What of its many faces?
Margiela FW18
Its involvement in polarising trends?
Whilst we’re busy trying to suss out how we feel about these enduring shoe features, they’re busy making their way into the next collections.