Just this morning, our Who What Wear editors went through an exercise where we shared the five main ways we each identify ourselves, and responses included dog mom, Southerner, and Italian American. Well, if Ashley Madekwe had been on our Zoom call, I have a feeling she’d mention the three identifiers that she features prominently in her Instagram bio for all to see: actress, South London girl living in L.A., and founder of Ring My Bell, her website.
I recently interviewed Madekwe to get the scoop on her new collaboration with JustFab, so naturally I had to throw in a question about her view on the style differences on each side of the pond. “I think the main difference is attitude,” she told Who What Wear. “London has an edge—it’s fast paced and most people navigate the city by walking or on public transport. That adds a layer of utilitarianism to the style there. In LA I think the attitude is more relaxed and of course the weather informs how people dress.”
As part of the collaboration, Madekwe curated an online shop on JustFab’s website called Walk With Purpose, which features her personal favorite shoe trends. “To me, walking with purpose means being confident, being unafraid to stand up for what you believe in and having the courage to ask for what you deserve,” Madekwe told me about the collection. “Together we also created the Yes Girl, Yes T-shirt as a way to offer women a message of positivity and encouragement. We hear no too often. I think it’s time we heard and felt yes. It’s been amazing to be able to utilize fashion as an avenue to inspire and empower women.” The collab also extended beyond just shoes. “An added bonus was that as part of the collaboration, I was able to donate with JustFab to a female driven charity of my choice,” Madekwe said. “I chose Beauty 2 the Streetz. It’s run by the incredible Shirley Raines. I’ve been following her and the work she does with the homeless women of LA for a while now. It started 3 years ago with providing beauty treatments, showers, haircuts, etc but has quickly developed to provide homeless women with food, shelter and other necessities.” Scroll down to see Madekwe’s top 3 favorite fall shoe trends and shop the ones she’s wearing.
“I love boots and booties (in general not just for the fall) which is why there are so many in my collection! I like the versatility of them and I’ll often reach for a boot over a high heeled pump. We used mostly block and cuban heels because they’re so wearable.”
“The cowboy boot comeback seems like it’s here to stay for a while. The Mae boot from my collection really encapsulates that trend well. I love the zipper feature at the back of the boot because I hate struggling to pull my boots off.”
“I like the slip on loafer trend because it takes the timeless shape of a loafer and adds a twist by making it a slip on mule. The ‘Smooth Transition’ loafer is a really chic way to add color and elevate a casual look.”
