Chappal phad ke, trend in the making?

Hotels have long waged a silent war against guests who treat their rooms like a free-for-all souvenir shop. Sure, pocketing the complimentary toothpaste and coffee sachets is fine. But when you start eyeing towels, robes, table lamps or crockery, you've crossed a line. And bathroom slippers? Yes, they're a hot commodity, too. Recently, a Mumbai hotel decided to tackle this great slipper heist head-on. Their weapon of choice? Mismatched chappals. One olive-green, one orangish-brown - a pairing so aesthetically offensive that no self-respecting guest would dare smuggle them out. Never mind non-self-respecting guests (read: almost everyone). Nifty strategy? Sure.

But what if mismatched slippers are flip-flopped and become the rage? After all, mismatched earrings, no less than Swarovski confirms, is trendy, and even has a go-to guide on how to pull it off. Red-soled Louboutin pairs could be inspired to be red and white. And if it's mismatched chappals that will be the next foot fetish, then who knows Mamata Banerjee may, indeed, embrace the 'look' for her 2026 Bengal assembly election campaign - her trademark blue'n'whites now spiffily separated into one blue chappal for the left foot and one white for the right. And with slippers with mismatched colours, can pumps or heels be far behind? Nike-Louis Vuitton designers, what say?