Rebecca and Fiona

Jeepers Creepers: Where’d You Get Those Shoes?

Rebecca and Fiona, a Swedish DJ duo from Stockholm have always stood out to me since they started in 2010. Over the last few years their style has evolved quite rapidly and I continue to look to the girls for European trends. Although their skirts have gotten shorter and their hair has been dyed every colour of the rainbow, one element always stood prevalent of the trials and tribulations that come with designing for pop stars: their extremely high platform shoes. What I thought died with the Spice Girls has been reborn with these two except the styles are much more collegiate in nature and although the platforms may be high there is a certain element of minimalism when it comes to the footwear choices of Rebecca and Fiona. They aren’t just wearing platforms, they are wearing creepers.

Céline, Karl Lagerfeld, and Stella McCartney Fall 2013 / Source: WWD

Fall of 2013 runway collections brought us tons of ‘creepers’ and although it may have been the first time many of us had seen these oxford and platform mix, the truth is that they’ve been around since 1945 and like everything else punk rock, derived they from England.

According to the brand “Underground” which is well known for their collection of creepers, the shoe was inspired by the British troops who returned from fighting in North Africa and donned crepe-soled desert boots which became known as ‘brothel creepers’ back in 1945. Inspired by the shoes local cobblers adapted and refined the style until they were adopted by the British subculture Teddy Boys, also known as Teds.

The Teds channeled Edwardian dandyism and rejected the conservatism of post-war Britain, their attitude is said to have reflected in the birth of rock n’ roll. In the 70s the creepers returned on the scene as a favourite amongst those who were typically young, free, radical individuals and became popular once again.

The creepers have always represented the rebellious and stylish. The same holds true for today and is now being saturated into the mainstream thanks to designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Céline, and Dries Van Norton all showing creepers with their pre-fall and fall 2013 collections.

SHOP:

Marc by Marc Jacobs Studded Creeper Shoe, $382.13

Underground Leather Snake Creeper Boot, $221.00

Jeffrey Campbell Luis Platform Loafer, $80.00

Underground Barfly Pointed Creeper, $277.26

Vivienne Westwood Creeper Oxford, $1,037.56

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