美国国家公共电台 NPR In True Meta Fashion, These Are Shoes For Your Shoes

 

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

After a big fashion show, there's always the question, which trends will make the leap from the runway to real life? After Paris Men's Fashion Week, we ask, do shoes need their own pair of shoes?

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

The Chinese fashion label Sankuanz hopes the answer is yes. Its design team sent male models down the runway wearing high-top sneakers that never actually touched the runway. Here's how Sankuanz's publicist Courtney Wittich describes the concept¹.

COURTNEY WITTICH: They're transformable sneakers that have an outer layer of protective² sandal that you can either Velcro into, and you can strap³ them on or off.

KELLY: Yeah. They look like these big, cushioned rubber and plastic orthopedic Birkenstocks with Velcro straps⁴, and you strap them on top of your existing shoes. Ari, you look like you might need some persuading.

SHAPIRO: Yeah. I'm not going to wear these, no. I am 6-foot-3 and don't need any extra height. Thank you very much. Sankuanz showed them in black and beige.

WITTICH: I think they're going to be really popular. I mean, you know, the streets are quite dirty, and people want to protect their shoes, especially if they're paying a lot of money for them.

KELLY: Well, the shoe sandals will sell for about $335 when they go on the market. That's in August.

WITTICH: And you can walk totally normal in them, and it gives you an extra kind of layer of protection and then also height.

SHAPIRO: Right, height - no, thank you - pass.

KELLY: (Laughter) For people who saw the Sankuanz show last month, there's no question these things did make an impression.

LILY TEMPLETON: People were quite interested in this shoe on shoe.

KELLY: That's fashion journalist Lily Templeton. She's based in Paris. She says the double shoe is not out of step with the Chinese company's brand image.

TEMPLETON: It seems to fit the aesthetic⁵ of what Sankuanz was showing - this kind of dystopian, grow wherever you're planted even if it's a post-apocalyptic world.

SHAPIRO: Templeton says layered clothing is a real trend these days - says the guy wearing a shirt with a hoodie with a blazer.

KELLY: (Laughter).

SHAPIRO: And this plays off that.

TEMPLETON: A lot of designers want to give you that kind of adaptability⁶ where you're able to transform your clothing. So why not transform your shoes?

KELLY: And why not once you're adding shoes on top of your shoes maybe consider some shoes for your shoes on shoes? Publicist Courtney Wittich says there is a limit to this layered look.

WITTICH: So far we haven't heard anything about a third layer generation, but if we hear about that, we'll let you know.

SHAPIRO: We'll stay tuned⁷.

(SOUNDBITE OF KANYE WEST SONG, "FLASHING LIGHTS")

KELLY: You're listening to all shoes - I mean, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News.

1 concept   

n.概念，观念，思想

参考例句：

• A small baby has no concept of right and wrong.婴儿没有是非概念。
• He was asked to define his concept of cool.他被要求说明自己关于“酷”的定义。

2 protective   

adj.防护的，保护的

参考例句：

• A mother naturally feels protective towards her children.做母亲的天生要保护自己的孩子。
• We feel safe with a protective device in the house.我们因为家里有了防护装置而感到安全。

3 strap   

n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎

参考例句：

• She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
• The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。

4 straps   

n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
• The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。

5 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

6 adaptability   

n.适应性

参考例句：

• It has a wide range of adaptability.它的应用性广。

7 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》