Have you ever seen a really oddly dressed woman (or a man, I'm not discriminating, it's just usually women that I see) with a super funky outfit and some really thick soles on her shoes?
The shoes are called creepers, and they aren't just for women. In fact, they've recently come back in style in for dudes in the high-fashion set. Originally worn by soldiers in WWII, the thick crepe soles on boots served to protect the bottoms of their feet in the harsh conditions of North Africa. A couple decades later, creepers were adopted by a number of different subcultures including ska, punk and psychobilly, more for style than a utilitarian purpose.
Companies like George Cox were some of the first to produce these thick-soled shoes all the way back in the early '50s, and though they're still doing it, the shoe's appearance in collections by many great designers working today is much more interesting. From Prada to Raf Simons to Ann Demeulemeester, creepers have been popping up a lot lately, and for good reason. They're a nice break from the normal sneaker or boot silhouette, and the beefy sole providing an interesting contrast when worn with any kind of slim pants (it also gives you an extra couple inches, you know, if you're insecure about your height). Our favorite is the Prada Creeper, but unless you have an extra couple thousand dollars to drop on a pair of shoes, it might be a better idea to take a peek through the gallery and look into something slightly more affordable. Or you can always just go to a local cobbler and tell him to stack the soles on your favorite pair of Cons. Either/or.
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