Jimmy Choo's Sandra Choi: The Mod squad

The collection for spring/summer 18 is inspired by the Mod era. It's a really sleek and sexy subculture and its fashion is evergreen, eternal yet ever evolving. I want to benchmark this style for Jimmy Choo because it's a very normal and understated way of dressing, but at the same time you look very dapper. This is my vision of how men should dress.

We wanted the collection to say: 'I'm in the spotlight and admire my style', but at the same time we didn’t want it to be overdone. This is definitely a feature of how I see the Mod style of dress, for instance the jewellery can't be overdone; it has to be tasteful. This is where a single signet ring and a tie clip come into play as details on the Tim shoe.

I think the tie clip is a really beautiful part of the Mod look; their use of it was inspired by the modern jazz movement of the 1950s and this is why I love the Mod reference – it's inclusive. It's a subculture that allows you your own individual ticks, but at the same time you have to play it smart so it's good looking.

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The use of two-tone is very prevalent in the collection, but there's also the subtlety of using two different materials. I feel like this is a great look for men because it makes you stand out, but it's also calm and not ostentatious. We use beautiful yet understated juxtapositions of woven, pony and plain leather in our shoes, whether they're casual trainers or at the more smart and formal end of the collection. You'll also see the use of black and white and other demure colours.

I love the whole collection but if I had to identify a key style it would be the Faris slip-on. I like to think of this as the modernised style; it's fine to take something for reference, but you don't want to do it too literally. Our slip-on has a much more current silhouette and features a beautiful two-tone look created from woven fabric and vachetta leather. The sole is also a work of art with a beautiful combination of cork and rubber.

A modern Mod would want to wear a loafer that looked like that. He'd be wearing a nice shirt and his trousers would be of a certain length, slightly tapered or turned up and that look would complement the loafers incredibly well.

SANDRA CHOI has served as Jimmy Choo's creative director since the company's founding in 1996; jimmychoo.com