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The only shoe dilemma faced by many men used to be deciding between black or brown but now, eye-catching footwear is opening up a brave new world of self-expression. "There are studs, sparkle, print and colour everywhere," says Ed Burstell, managing director of London department store Liberty. "Men are now more trend aware – certain brands and styles hit the floor and they're gone right away. They're also prepared to spend more."
过去，许多男士所面临的两难问题通常是在黑色与棕色鞋之间进行取舍，但如今推出的则是个性十足、标新立异的鞋履。"如今的鞋上，各种饰钉、亮点、条纹以及颜色随处可见，"伦敦百货店Liberty总经理埃德•伯斯戴尔(Ed Burstell)说。"男士如今越来越具有时尚意识——某些品牌与款式推出后被一抢而光，男士们愿意为此掏更多的钱。"
Witness the rapper Tinie Tempah in Jimmy Choo glittery slippers (no socks), paired with a dinner suit; DJ Mark Ronson in rainbow hues; Kanye West in Christian Louboutin's gold-studded men's loafers, and Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am, in eye-catching high-tops. Yet while musicians have always embraced the more outre side of footwear, now they are no longer an exception.
英国说唱歌手蒂尼•坦帕(Tinie Tempah)堂而皇之地身着晚礼服，脚上却穿着一双Jimmy Choo发光拖鞋（而且未穿袜子！）；DJ歌手马克•罗森(DJ Mark Ronson)身穿五彩缤纷的服装；坎耶•维斯特(Kanye West)穿着镶嵌金色饰钉的克里斯蒂安•娄伯丁(Christian Louboutin)乐福鞋；黑眼豆豆组合(Black Eyed Peas)中的嘻哈明星will.i.am则是穿着一双令人咂舌的高帮鞋。音乐家总是喜欢穿稀奇古怪的鞋履，而如今他们也不再那么另类了。
"We're seeing a lot of customer interest in some men's styles," says Stacey Smith, menswear buyer for online retailer Matches. "Christian Louboutin and Pierre Hardy have waiting lists long before the product hits stores."
"我们看到很多消费者喜欢流行的男款，" 斯泰西•史密斯(Stacey Smith)说，他是Matches网上零售店男装部采购员。"克里斯蒂安•娄伯丁与皮埃尔•哈迪(Pierre Hardy)的产品上架前，订单早已络绎不绝。"
Indeed, due to customer demand, Christian Louboutin is opening a new dedicated men's footwear store on London's Dover Street this autumn, following New York and Los Angeles locations this summer, and Jimmy Choo recently launched a dedicated men's store in London's Burlington Arcade. On the shelves at Louboutin there will be peacock-blue calf-leather brogues with decorative zipper detailing, gold-capped leopard-print slippers and golden-studded tartan fabric loafers (£795). At Jimmy Choo, expect to find ponyskin army-print loafers and purple and pink suede shoe-boots (£350).
毋庸置疑，由于消费者对所推出的新品趋之若鹜，今年秋天，继今夏在纽约与洛杉矶开设分店后，克里斯蒂安•娄伯丁在伦敦多佛街(Dover Street)新开了一家男装专卖店；Jimmy Choo近日在伦敦伯灵顿市场街(Burlington Arcade)也开了一家男装专卖店。在娄伯丁新专卖店里，届时孔雀蓝小牛皮布洛克鞋会与点缀装饰拉链豹纹拖鞋（鞋头镶金）与镶嵌金色饰钉的格子布乐福鞋（售价795英镑）同架销售。Jimmy Choo新专卖店销售的则是迷彩纹小马皮乐福鞋与紫色及粉色山羊皮鞋靴（售价350英镑）。
Prada has created lace-up shoes decorated with applique leather flowers and studs, alongside two-tone lace-ups where the bottom half looks like it has been dipped in cherry-hued paint (£870 and £620 respectively). Alexander McQueen has floral embroidered slippers (£615), and Pierre Hardy is offering leopard-print brothel creepers (£300).
普拉达(Prada)除了推出双色系带鞋（鞋跟下半部看上去像是在鲜红色颜料中浸泡过一样）外，还推出了装饰皮质贴花及饰钉的系带鞋（售价分别为620英镑与870英镑）。亚历山大•麦奎(Alexander McQueen)推出了绣花式拖鞋（售价615英镑），而皮埃尔•哈迪推出的则是豹纹款超厚橡胶底鞋（brothel creepers，售价300英镑）。
"The best men's styles are now easily on a par with their womenswear equivalents in price and the use of more luxurious skins and finishes," says Smith. "The secret is that they're not too costumey. They're fun but there's real workmanship and quality materials," says Burstell.
"最潮的男款如今在价位、奢侈皮质用料以及打磨工序等方面与女款不相上下，"史密斯说。"奥秘就在于它们不是显得太过奢华，相反却设计奇妙、做工非常讲究以及使用上等材质，"伯斯戴尔说。
"‘Better-made shoes are more popular in general now," agrees Toby Bateman, buying director at men's online retailer Mr Porter, adding that hand-made classic John Lobb styles in particular are selling fast on the site.
"通常说来，做工考究的鞋如今更容易流行，" Mr Porter网络零售店男装采购部主管托比•贝特曼(Toby Bateman)对此持同样看法，他并补充说手工打造的经典款约翰•洛布 (John Lobb) 鞋在网店上尤为畅销。
However, Lobb's handmade styles (around £600) offer years of wear while these new "directional" designs mimic the seasonal changes usually seen in womenswear and are thus a less reliable investment. Will they catch on with male consumers?
但是，洛布手工款鞋（售价约600英镑）经久耐穿，而这些新推出的时尚鞋通常也存在类似女款鞋那种季节性的变化，因而在经济上不太划算。时尚男鞋能俘获男性消费者的"芳心"吗？
One place that is particularly resistant to passing trends is the City of London. Says one City lawyer: "I wore dark brown lace-ups as a change one week and those were considered ‘statement' enough. I was mocked for weeks by my conservative colleagues, so I am not sure these would go down well. Perhaps in media ..."
对流行时尚具有"强耐抗性"的地方是伦敦金融城(City of London)。金融城一位律师这么说道："有一周，我换了一双深棕色系带鞋，觉得很是标新立异。结果，我的那些保守朋友取笑了我好几周，因此本人不知道这些另类鞋会不会流行下去，也许媒体可以大肆吹捧……"
Another Lloyd's broker adds: "I don't think the commissionaires would let me in to the Lloyd's building with them on and at the weekend my teenage boys say they wouldn't let me leave the house in them."
英国劳合社(Lloyd's)一位经纪人补充说："我觉得自己若是穿这样的鞋上班，劳合社的门卫都不会让我进大楼；周末时，家里十来岁的儿子们说我若是穿这样的鞋，他们都不会允许我出门。"
So why the sudden rush to bolder styles among the sartorially adventurous males? "There's a growing confidence among male consumers, who are becoming increasingly fashion literate and ready to be more playful with their wardrobes," says Smith.
那么，那些追求新潮服饰的男士为何会突然间青睐这种前卫的流行时尚？"原因是男性消费者的自信心越来越足，他们越来越了解时尚，希望尝试一把欢快风格，"史密斯说。
The trend started in spring 2011 with Prada's platform trainers, brogues and espadrilles, which became cult hits, and the reinvention of men's slippers in opulent fabrics. The growing embrace of brothel creepers has also encouraged men to be more experimental.
这股时尚风肇始于2011年春季，当时普拉达推出了厚底运动鞋、布洛克鞋以及登山帆布鞋（很快被消费者争购一空）以及重新打造了华丽织布类男士拖鞋。超厚橡胶底鞋的盛行也不断鼓励男士一试为快。
"Trainers have also been a major driver," says Burstell. "There's been a huge string of statement, bright styles, which have been really popular, and worn by lots of famous people. It's encouraged men to be braver. These rare styles also appeal to the collector in men, which we've seen with sneakers for years. Shoes have become another geek pursuit."
"运动鞋也是主要的推波助澜者，"伯斯戴尔说。"市场上标新立异、颜色亮丽的鞋应接不暇，它们很受消费者欢迎，而且很多大名人都喜欢穿。它们鼓励男士更大胆地去尝试新款。这些稀有款式还引起了男性藏家的深厚兴趣（这几年来，旅游鞋的收藏就是个明证），鞋成了社会另一大怪癖收藏之对象。"
At the same time, observes Bateman, "the statement shoe is much less scary than a statement jacket. Perhaps our bravery has migrated from our socks – it used to be these that the ‘classic' man kept as their subversive bit of fashion and now it's the shoe. A coloured shoe or a velvet slipper makes me feel slightly more rebellious."
与此同时，贝特曼注意到："相比标新立异的夹克，标新立异的鞋履不太会让消费者存有顾虑。也许我们的无畏源自以前穿袜子——过去的袜子款式多样，以致于名人们把它视作颠覆时尚之物，如今则是鞋履担此"光荣角色"。色彩艳丽的鞋或者天鹅绒拖鞋让本人觉得有了"挑战时尚传统"的底气。"
