Irregular Choice: another year older, another year cuter

Irregular Choice celebrated the first birthday of its Carnaby Street store yesterday, with a fizz-fuelled party for fans of the unashamedly kooky brand. With plenty of styles new and old on offer and the chance to catch a glimpse of next season’s shoes, it was well worth popping along for a look at what’s new – and for the discounts!

When I caught up with Irregular Choice’s designer Dan Sullivan (top left) at the event, the first thing I wanted to know was what we can expect from the forthcoming range. After all, it’s not easy to predict what direction a brand that does not usually bow to the whims of mainstream fashion, will take. Dan told me that IC will be going ‘back to its roots’ for s/s ’10, focusing on the more cutesy, lighter and more fun designs that the label embraced when it was formed nearly 10 years ago.

I have to say I was pleased to hear this: Irregular Choice had taken a ‘darker’ turn around 2003/4 and I always prefered the more whimsical styles. There’s certainly plenty of whimsy to go round if the preview I’ve seen is anything to go by: shoe charms with pom-poms and baby dolls stand out alongside teddy-bear print pumps in a very pastel-dominated colour palate.

That’s not to say that the old styles we know and love will be disappearing: Dan was eager to point out that many of the classic IC shoes will be staying on as long as their die-hard fans want them. Now, I just can’t wait to see the rest of the new range, which promises to be a bucketfull of cute!