For anyone with the vaguest interest in clothes shopping, August is a troublesome month.
The most troublesome, in fact. The month in which a gargantuan divide stands between what is available and what we actually want. Embark on a spot of bikini shopping and this is glaringly apparent. While our heads remain firmly planted in summer, or what's left of it, the shops, now fully loaded with heavy winter coats, dense knitwear and thermals (thanks Uniqlo), have moved on.
Unable to accept our fate - the inevitable end to another underwhelming British summer - we're dipping our toe into the new season with an autumn trend that is not only seasonless but utterly timeless. Brogues.
Of course, the notion that a woman might wear this decidedly masculine, lace-up shoe style is not a new one. Worn most famously by Patti Smith during the late Sixties, brogues, like Smith herself, are symbolic of a movement in fashion. An androgynous, almost sexless, way of dressing that remains as achingly hip today as it was in Sixties New York when Smith rubbed shoulders with Bob Dylan and Andy Warhol.
This season, thanks to a renewed affection for this period, and the dressing habits of those who lived in it, brogues are enjoying something of a renaissance. Inspired by the imminent release of On the Road, a film adaptation of Jack Kerouac's famous Beat novel, a number of designers gave nods towards this era in their autumn/winter shows. A pair of brogues, be they black, brown or, in the case of Dolce & Gabbana, leopard-print, often formed the foundation for this androgynous, anti-feminine way of dressing.
At Paul Smith, brogues in black, brown and navy served to complement mannish tailoring and loose-fitting coats, while at Dolce & Gabbana, bright incarnations of the style lent a tough edge to beautifully cut shapes and shimmering metallics.
On seeking out the perfect pair of brogues, it might be best to sidestep the high-street. While a number of brands have tried their hands at creating their own interpretation of the shoe for autumn, cost restrictions mean few have managed to execute this with much grace.
A traditional men's cobbler is undoubtedly the best option. Church's - the gentleman's footwear brand founded in Northampton in 1873 and now owned by Prada - carries a broad selection of women's styles and sizes. Its most popular is the Classic Burwood, a simple leather brogue that looks great with straight-leg trousers, and even better with a pretty tea dress.
Grenson, another Northampton firm, launches its first women's line on my-wardrobe.com this week.
The collection, a female-friendly interpretation of Grenson's most popular men's styles, includes the "Dylan" - a slender interpretation of the brogues worn by Robert Redford in the Great Gatsby - and the "William", a classic brogue crafted from super-soft Alpine grained leather.
Such craftsmanship doesn't of course, come cheap but for a pair of shoes that are designed to get better with age, it's worth parting with the cash.
Like Patti Smith, a well-worn pair of brogues have an appeal that will endure for a lifetime.
Twitter: @karendacre
