Traditionally, wearing a pair of comfy slippers out in public has been perfectly acceptable for 3 types of people: babies, chronic slackers, and college students. According to the Financial Times (the obvious authority on all breaking fashion trends?), slipper makers are noticing that their products are showing up in all sorts of unusual places where the slipper was formerly unacceptable -- from the bar to the office meeting. Is it time for the 'house shoe' to invade the outdoors?

If you think we're talking about those borderline hybrid slippers with rubber soles and junk -- we're not. We're talking foam-lined slippers like the kind your grandfather would wear with those old school pajamas. Outside of the aforementioned narrow demographic groups -- are house shoes a good look out on the street?

Two things strike us about the trend. First, they seem like damn comfortable attire to wear as you go about your work day, but the again so do sweatpants. Second, wouldn't they tear up quickly on the pavement? Doesn't seem very practical. Three, does wearing slippers automatically cast you as a lazy ner'er do well?

Aside from those who're trying to recapture their youth, who wants to be mistaken for a baby, college student, or couch-drifting vagrant? Sure, Val Kilmer pulled off the casual yet rebellious slipper look in Real Genius, but we always thought that wearing slippers to class seemed a little too cutesy.

What do you think: can it work? Does it depend completely on the slipper?

[via Jezebel]