Cheap Thrills! Why the Non-Fashion Shoe Is Making a Comeback Inline
Photo: Courtesy of Birkenstock1/19Nicole Phelps, Director, Replica Handbag Store Runway
Is it unfashionable to say that I have my eye on these navy foam-soled Birk slides now that the great Birkenstock craze is officially over? Who cares? I bought these in black two years ago and they remain the comfiest shoes in my closet.
Birkenstock Madrid sandals, $30, buy it now
Photo: Courtesy of Fluevog2/19Kristin Anderson, Vogue.com Fashion News Writer
I recently professed my newfound affections for the deeply, unapologetically offbeat Fluevog shoe—well, not all of the brand’s styles (you’ll catch me in a squashed-heel Mary Jane when hell freezes over), but definitely the witchy-cool pairs, like the Seraphina granny boot, as seen on none other than Yoncé.
Fluevog Seraphina boots, $419, buy it now
Photo: Courtesy of Teva3/19Emily Farra, Vogue.com Fashion News Associate
When I was a kid, I used to get a new pair of Tevas every summer—I loved that there were always dozens of new patterns to choose from. There was a navy pair with gold suns and moons that I could never get my hands on, which still bugs me! But I love these dark green ones, too—the pattern looks kind of Southwestern to me, and they’d be so much more comfortable than all of my leather sandals and sneakers.
Teva women’s Original Universal sandals, $50, buy it now
Photo: Courtesy of Clarks4/19Chioma Nnadi, Vogue.com Fashion Director
I’ve had an obsession with Wallabees since I was a kid. It was part of the Jamaican rude boy look that was really big in London back in the ’90s, and my friends and I would stand in line to get them at this popular shoe store called Shellys. My mom is Swiss-German and was really insistent that I wear sensible shoes. When I was a child, she had me in Birkenstocks at age 3, although I refused to wear them once I was in middle school—they weren’t cool enough for me back then, apparently. In fact, Wallabees were the only ugly-pretty shoe we could agree on. I really wish they would make them in white suede, but the sandy-colored version is a classic, and great with bare ankles and cropped jeans in the summer. Plus, Alexander Wang brought back the look for Fall 2016.
Clarks Wallabee boots, $140, buy it now
Photo: Courtesy of Chaco5/19Emily Rosser, Vogue.com Photo Editor
“I like the comfortable hippie vibes of this dad-like footwear.”
Chaco ZX/2 classic sandals, $105, buy it now
Photo: Courtesy of clogs4u.com6/19Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue.com Archive Editor
Clogs are year-round go-tos for me. The lift of Hasbeens is always welcome, but I was also given a pair of hand-painted red and navy clogs from a village in the south of Sweden, where they are worn by men and women alike, that I cherish and save for special summer days.
Dala Clogs dark blue hand-painted clogs, $129, buy it now
Photo: (From top to bottom) Courtesy of TK; Courtesy of Rocket Dog7/19Kelly Connor, Vogue.com Market Editor
I used to wear these heinous Rocket Dogs in middle school . . . now I’m thinking maybe they could be good with a flood pant. They are super lightweight, despite how chunky they are! I also used to wear Le Coq Sportif shoes all the time and sort of forgot about them until I came across these sick translucent jelly sandals/sneakers. I always love a good hybrid shoe.
Le Coq Sportif Meduse sandals, $57, buy it now; Rocket Dog Bigtop webbings women’s platform sandals, $35, buy it now
Photo: Courtesy of Kork8/19Rebecca Bengal, Vogue.com Contributing Editor
I shattered my ankle in a car wreck when I was 19, and since then, weirdly enough, flats are the absolute worst. In summers I live in Rachel Comey clogs and Kork-Ease sandals. You can walk miles in those things.
Kork-Ease Myrna sandals, $135, buy it now
Photo: Courtesy of Birkenstock9/19Zoe Ruffner, Vogue.com Photo Researcher
My mom and I bought these fuzzy Birkenstocks, vowing to share them, but ended up fighting over them so much that I had to order my own pair.
Birkenstock Arizona sandals in black shearling, $145, buy it now
Photo: Courtesy of Hot Style10/19Mackenzie Wagoner, Vogue.com Senior Beauty Writer
I love the slides in Chinatown. I have two woven pairs (one in graphic black and white, and one in orange and black) that I bought on the street for $5 each. People always think they’re some limited-edition Céline shoe that they missed! I also have a weakness for Converse, Vans, and old, clunky Eddie Bauer hiking boots. Those are very My So-Called Life.
Natural tropical royal rattan slippers, $10, buy it now
Photo: (From top to bottom) Courtesy of Dansko; Courtesy of Crocs11/19Jorden Bickham, Vogue.com Executive Fashion Editor
This summer I am wearing the Dansko clogs in navy blue I wore in college as a barista, and a pair of classic Crocs is just the shoe to pair with cutoff jean shorts to take them down a notch.
Dansko Professional clogs, $120, buy it now; Crocs classic in navy, $35, buy it now
Photo: Courtesy of Yandy12/19Chelsea Zalopany, Vogue.com Market Editor
I currently love these boudoir mules. They are so costume-kitschy that I can’t help but to find them brilliant. To tone down the sex-kitten vibe, I like to pair them with some Levi’s 501s, a simple knit or blouse, and a conservative houndstooth jacket by Maison Margiela. The contrast of the Liz Taylor bedroom slippers with the Diane Keaton in Baby Boom vibe is exactly where I am at right now.
Pleaser four-inch fur sandals, from $15, buy it now
Photo: Courtesy of Yandy13/19Marjon Carlos, Vogue.com Senior Fashion Writer
I can’t count how many times I have had this conversation with my colleague Chelsea Zalopany, but the stripper heel is back. Or did it ever really go anywhere, considering some of the most fashionable pop culture figures have been obsessed with the barely there style of the pole (hello, Rihanna!). So it should hardly come as a surprise that I fell for this so-wrong-it’s-got-to-be-good plastic mule. The sleek shape drew me in initially, but I love the sassiness of the style—the kitten heel is flirty without being brassy, and I can actually walk in the damn things as opposed to their seven-inch sisters. But moreover, how many times did we see PVC on the Fall 2016 runways? I lost count. They'll go perfectly with cropped denim and sundresses this summer when I, inevitably, hit the dance floor in them.
Yandy Pleaser 4-inch heel slides, $34, buy it now
Photo: Courtesy of Unif14/19Monica Kim, Vogue.com Beauty Writer
There’s an old artistic approach where you take a perfectly composed piece and add one jarring element to it, creating an oddly pleasing, if unconventional, design. That’s how I feel about the ugly shoe—paired with something polished, they feel transgressive. This summer, I’m eyeing an atrocious pair of pink platform jellys. Truly, they’re awful—but with a slim pair of cropped jeans and a ladylike cardigan, the contrast will be fun.
Unif Hella Jellys, $78, buy it now
Photo: All courtesy of G.H. Bass & Co.15/19Celia Ellenberg, Vogue Beauty Director
I mean . . . these shoes still feel fashionable to me, but as it’s no longer 1983, perhaps they could be considered an untraditional choice: I live in G.H. Bass Sunjuns when the weather jumps above 80 degrees. The Sharons are a personal favorite, although the Margies are also pretty cute. I was buying them dead stock on eBay until I realized they still make them and that the original, completely untouched designs are now available in brand-new 2016 boxes.
G.H. Bass & Co. Sharon Sunjuns sandals, $20, buy it now; G.H. Bass & Co. Margie Sunjuns sandals, $30, buy it now
Photo: Courtesy of Birkenstock16/19Alessandra Codinha, Vogue.com Fashion News Editor
I still ride hard for white Birkenstocks. Not particularly original, no longer really stylish (at all), but give me an orthopedic footbed and a pair of thick securing straps and I’m a happy girl. Plus, they go from beach to street without an issue, and with a slip dress (or a cropped, cuffed jean, à la Corinne Day’s photo of Kate Moss), they provide a nice balance.
Birkenstock Arizona sandals, $100, buy it now
Photo: Courtesy of UGG17/19Edward Barsamian, Vogue.com Style Editor
I love my Chelsea boots and my sneakers, but nothing’s better than coming home and putting on my Uggs. I’ve had them since just before college and only wear them in private, but it truly is like walking on two pillowy clouds.
Ugg men’s classic short boots, $170, buy it now
Photo: Courtesy of amazon.com18/19Eviana Hartman, Vogue.com Contributing Editor
I am on my third pair of black mesh Nike Roshe Run sneakers with chunky white soles, a style from the apex of the normcore movement. They don’t make them anymore, but I’ve been hunting them down on eBay every year since I discovered them. I look silly in sneakers, but these have a sleeker, more feminine quality while still offering a squishy, height-enhancing surface to walk on. They’re quicker to slip on than regular sneakers, and also somehow chic in a dorky sort of way, and no one else has them. Except for my mom. She liked mine so much that I ordered her a pair, too, so now we match.
Every summer I usually try to find some sort of comfortable shoe to walk around in that exists outside of fashion. For a long time, it was those sequin-embroidered mesh slipper mules from Chinatown, which, come to think of it, I might want to resurrect!
Max Collection mesh slippers, from $2, buy it now
Photo: Courtesy of Pearl River19/19Alexandra Gurvitch, Vogue.com Photo Researcher
The silk Chinatown flat Mary Janes. Very alt girl in the early aughts meets The Row . . .
Rayon jacquard Mary Janes, $17, buy it now
