Survive February with unsightly Firks
Absurd-looking faux fur-lined Birkenstocks are a cosy, airy alternative to house slippers
I have a wonderful new system for surviving Toronto in February. Indoors, at home, on top of the usual domestic comforts (wood-burning fire; an assortment of single malts; hot baths infused with aromatic oils), I pad around the house in these absurd-looking, faux fur-lined Birkenstock sandals.
The beauty of them is that they are both airy and cosy at the same time, like sitting by a campfire on a summer night or driving around in an open convertible with the seat-warmers on.
Plus, the ease of being able to slip in and out of them means that whenever I am brave enough to venture out of doors, all I have to do is shed them by the door before sliding, barefoot, into my similarly faux fur-lined and extremely warm Pajar winter boots, thus doing away with the entire category of hosiery. And then, on my return, there they are awaiting me in the hall, like a pair of extremely loyal, furry pets. Given that my Firks do bear some passing, at least conceptual similarity to Alessandro Michele’s divine fur-lined slippers for Gucci, I even felt quite chic in them last summer when I tried wearing them with distressed, rolled-up jeans as of-the- moment streetwear, although they made my feet too hot in the sun. That is, until my brother made fun of me.
“Those make it look like it’s actually your feet that are hairy,” scoffed my brother — a fellow Birkenstock enthusiast, but of the unlined, Arizona variety — who happened to be in town for their debut.
It is true that, when you look down with them on, the tops of your feet can appear to resemble those of a really dark-haired primate, perhaps a gorilla. An illusion which I doubt is shared by those looking down their noses at their feet in a pretty pair of fur-lined Guccis. Although I don’t actually know this, because there was no way I was going to pay Gucci prices just to be a fashion victim, no matter how clever I happen to think Alessandro Michele is on Instagram.
All of which has not stopped me from revelling in the sheer cosiness and brilliance of sporting my darling Firks behind closed doors, chez nous, this winter.
So brilliant are they, in fact, that I’ve just ordered myself a new pair ($199, from Nordstroms.com), because my frequent sliding in and out of them by the front door appears to have hastened an unfortunate little hair-loss problem, rendering the formerly furred foot bed less cosy.
No such Firks pattern baldness problem, however, with the underside of the upper T-straps of the originals, which despite daily duty, are still able to make my feet look like they’ve been swapped in one of those fold-over children’s books for a gorilla’s. Karen von Hahn is a Toronto-based writer, trend observer and style commentator. Contact her at kvh@karenvonhahn.com.