Now 'odd' even cool

Non-identical shoes are now embraced by many trendsetters, such as Ukrainian fashion model Alina Baikova.

Some of the style cognoscenti have nodded to intentional mismatching in a more subtle way, by simply switching their laces or ribbons, but others have gone the full Philo, wearing completely contrasting footwear. So is it really as daft as it sounds?

"Yes they do feel odd, but in a good way," says Erica Davies, a fashion editor and founder of style blog The Edited, who has been trialing the trend since last summer. "I think anything can go, so long as it's tonal. Prints, patterns, colors; it all works together as long as the tones work."

The easiest way to do it seems to be to buy two pairs of the same style in slightly different colors or fabrications. No one is hobbling around with a stiletto on the left foot and a smoking slipper on the right.

"I think fashion should be fun, but I also don't want to look ridiculous," says Davies. "I love the fact that my mismatched sandals are all in the same colorway. I love wearing them with simple black or white, to make them the focus."

Davies has more than 43,000 followers on Instagram, some of whom reacted by stating that they were "too OCD" to try it for themselves, but most just wanted to know where she bought them. Her go-to odd sandals are by Natalie Alamein, an Australian designer who founded her eponymous line in 2013. Alamein tells us that she loves to watch customers' reactions when they first see her mismatched pairs on display at her Bondi Beach flagship store.