Prada has always turned traditional footwear on its head. They have done for brogues what Fred Perry has done for the polo shirt. A pair such as this, for example, is a far cry from the Scottish (or Irish, depending on who you ask) footwear English country gents used to wear. In fact, they’re not the brogues we have been seeing a bit too much these days. If you look at the calfskin upper properly, this is really a hybrid shoe: Clarks Wallabee meets Church’s Chetwynd. And the leather/rubber sawtooth sole perfectly underscore the unusual upper!

For those in the know, there’s a certain snob appeal to these crossbred shoes: they’re what store staff will be eager to point out as “catwalk shoes”—styles shown on the runway. Wearing them makes you an early adopter and sets you steps ahead of the rest. And that could be social advantage for some. (Insert smiley here!)

Now available for SGD1770 at Prada, Ion Orchard