Closed shoes give way to loafers, floaters

CHANDIGARH, May 5: With the itchy summer galloping towards us at breakneck speed, it's goodbye to closed shoes and socks, as we prepare t...

CHANDIGARH, May 5: With the itchy summer galloping towards us at breakneck speed, it8217;s goodbye to closed shoes and socks, as we prepare to greet loafers and floaters with relief.

No longer will the feet have to boil in leather shoes, moccasions and sports shoes. Strappy sandals for men, women and kids will prove to be the saviours. The city markets are already filled with all kinds of lightweight footwear in all colours of the rainbow, and to suit all pockets.

But the change this season is that instead of the branded names setting trends, the rehri markets have taken a lead in getting good-looking stuff that doesn8217;t cost a bomb, lasts a season and doesn8217;t cause heartbreak when chucked away.

The mother of all rehri markets RMs 8212; the Shastri market of Sector 22 8212; greets you with some very good rubber sandals at Rs 100 for kids, Rs 150 for females and Rs 200 for males. Better quality lookalikes come in Sector 17 shops for upwards of Rs 350 for the kids8217; size. While this market specialises in providing Nike and Power duplicates, the Sector 15 RM will give an exact lookalike of Reebok products, starting at Rs 65! There also are some remarkably smart rubber sandals for as little as Rs 150.

Add a bit of the Indian buyers8217; penchant for bargaining and a chance to feast your eyes on the wildest colour combinations in PVC, fake leather and even wood et voila shopping at RMs this season promises to be a thoroughly entertaining and satisfying experience! Just sharpen your gift of the gab and have an eye to dig out the good pieces from the mounds of stuff.

Moving on to the branded shops, Reebok is easily the most popular brand of floaters for people of all age groups. At Rs 1,990 for males and at Rs 1,790 for females, one would think they are priced on the higher side, but according to Vikas Jain of Classic Centre, the stocks have been sold out twice!

Bata has also come out with floaters and rubber and leather sandals for men and women. For men, there are some really basic chappals at Rs 69. The waterproof rubber sandals in the colour of baked bread prove to be the biggest sellers at Rs 119 a pair. But the show stealers are the very pretty women8217;s leather sandals with evergreen Kolhapuri motifs and elegant embroidery.

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The three shoe shops in Sector 17, known for perennially holding quot;salesquot;, are specialising in two kinds of footwear. Dainty strappy sandals in light shades and some very impractical nubuck leather shoes with monstrous heels. Rs 700 will get you a pair of sandals with beads that control the grip on the foot.

But there isn8217;t much for working people on the move. The absence of practical designs, subtle styles and colours on the semi-formal shoe front means many will have to head to the metros to get their quota.