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Ugly shoes and £500 totes: how 'anti-status' fashion went mainstream

Fashion is sending mixed signals about status. The Guardian reports that “ugly” shoes, once the preserve of the catwalk, have gone mainstream. Where commuter trains were once full of low-key pumps, trainers and ballet flats, deliberately strange designs, often flat and a little orthopaedic, have become highly desirable.

A second Guardian piece follows the canvas tote bag from supermarket staple to status symbol. It notes that the everyday carrier has been given a four-figure makeover, and that designer Phoebe Philo, a pioneer of quiet luxury, offers a white version. The paper's headline sums up the idea as a form of “anti-status status”.

From Singapore, CNA profiled Mashizan Masjum, a former television producer who now creates limited-edition shoes handmade in Florence for an international clientele, and who says building the label has meant learning when to adapt, rethink designs and listen to customers.

How each outlet framed it

• The Guardian — the trend: why polarising shoes and plain-looking luxury bags now signal taste.
• CNA — the maker's view: a Singaporean designer building a small luxury footwear business on his own terms.

What we don't know yet: The Guardian describes a shift in what people buy but does not give sales figures, so how far the trend reaches beyond fashion-conscious shoppers is unclear.