fASHLIN has noticed that a lot of insanely popular fashion bloggers have fallen into a similar trap. They resort to the Holy Trinity of footwear--Jeffrey Campbell, Brand Collaborations featuring Jeffrey Campbell (i.e. Wildfox, Black Milk Clothing, etc.), and UNIF (most notably the Hellbounds)—as the only seemingly feasible styling options in the realm of shoes. While Jeffrey Campbell is quite possibly a mad genius and beyond worthy of the amazing recognition that he has built for himself, his shoes are not the only existing form of acceptable footwear. There are so many artfully talented fashion bloggers who rely entirely too much on the credibility that these brands of shoes supposedly provide. In actuality, what they provide is a guaranteed likeability; the safest "alternative" choice in stereotypically edgy footwear that is presently available; the mainstream opinion of what rad shoes should be. Jeffrey Campbell's talent and creative ingenuity alone have ultimately guaranteed him the cult following that he so rightly deserves. His ability to recycle ideas from the past and infuse them into the present is what makes his shoes so interesting and highly coveted in the first place. My issue is not with Jeffrey Campbell's talent or popularity, but with these so-called 'pioneers of fashion' who have lazily conceded their own creative perspective in footwear over to a pre-determined sure thing. I use the word lazy because you cannot identify yourself as being a styling genius while simultaneously relying on a heavily talented designer 99.9% of the time for all of your choices in a particular area of your supposed proficiency. It demonstrates a blatant lack of effort that is the antithesis of what a fashion intuitive is supposed to be. You can have all of the creative stylings of Susie Bubble, but if you choose to water it down with redundant footwear, you might as well be holding up a sign that says,
"I DON'T CARE." The interesting thing is that most of these bloggers do care a great deal, to the point that some of them have made fashion blogging their career, or at the very least a vast majority of their day-to-day lives. So what is their excuse? Perhaps there is some sort of secretive allure or professional justification behind the idea of consistently wearing a new shoe from the same-old designer that fASHLIN simply has yet to fully grasp.

One particular brand of shoes that bumps creative ingenuity straight off the radar of mainstream popularity is the crazy Japanese-obsessed fun brand, Irregular Choice. Designer Dan Sullivan uses his love and knowledge of Japanese street fashion to create his typical over-the-top signature styles that vary anywhere between the slightly unusual to highly stylized pieces of wearable art. The overall diversity and range that Irregular Choice provides allows for a multitude of unique styling options that are sure to help create an unforgettable look. This is merely one styling alternative to help you get out of the habit of forfeiting your shoe selection to only one brand, and while both Irregular Choice and Jeffrey Campbell are wholeheartedly awesome choices, be sure to put in the effort and change it up every once in a while. Here are a few of our favorites from Irregular Choice below: