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From granny clogs, fashion moves to grandpa shoes
These days, it’s rare for a fashion trend—grandpa shoes being the latest—to enter the mainstream without a buzzy, internet-friendly name. Some can be ambiguous, with little suggestion of what is being described, but others – like “granny” shoes – are pretty self-explanatory. For reference: “granny shoes”, in 2025 fashion speak, relates to comfortable (read: orthopaedic) footwear. Scholl sandals are a poster product for the trend. In the same vein, “grandpa” shoes are on the rise, but, much like granny shoes, deducing what a grandpa shoe actually is (and isn’t) is entirely subjective.
If we’re talking stereotypes, the term can encompass styles such as loafers, boat shoes, Derbys, brogues, slip-on trainers, trekking sandals and, well, anything that looks like a slipper. Saint Laurent’s suede Le Loafers, Bottega Veneta’s intrecciato Sunday slippers and Gianvito Rossi’s Vandée boat shoes are good examples. Details like practical soles, easy laces – and, of course, velcro – are a bonus.
Neil Mockford
Not only is it about the shoe itself – sometimes, the “grandpa” aspect hinges on the styling. Harry Styles wore a pair of loafers from The Row in April, for an outing in London, which looked suitably OAP with a white sock and turned-up tailored grey trousers. Cut to the top half, and the iced matcha latte, wired earphones, tote bag and shield glasses kept it firmly in millennial territory, but, overall, the look evoked a certain old-school charm.
Jonathan Anderson – he of divisive shoe claim – has long considered humble-yet-directional footwear a signature, and one that he championed, both during his tenure at Loewe and at his eponymous label. Anderson famously riffed on Last of the Summer Wine at his namesake autumn/winter 2024 offering, sending grey-haired models and chunky knitwear down the runway.
Hints of this aesthetic also permeated Anderson’s debut collection for Dior Men, with fisherman sandals, slippers and retro sneakers – essentially, the sort of shoes that wouldn’t look out of place in an elderly gentleman’s closet – making appearances on the runway. His recent rebrand for JW Anderson, resort 2026, visited these tropes once again, right down to the shoes – patchwork slip-ons and topstitched loafers, among them – which, in his redesigned stores, will be displayed alongside curated creature comforts like tea towels, blankets, Wedgewood crockery and miniature garden tools.
Prior to his departure, Matthieu Blazy leaned into a similar mood at Bottega Veneta, and his final outing, resort 2025, explored the ingredients of elegance. Blazy’s take on grandpa shoes? Glossed loafers as polished as a museum floor and booties that were given an old-timer spin via high-waisted, sand-hued chinos, a tucked-in striped shirt, a jazzy tie and leather jacket (a woven one at that). Likewise, look 34 at Miu Miu autumn/winter 2025 – an ensemble of layered track separates and leather flats – conjured the same effect.
