FASHION FOAM PAS
Paris and Nicky Hilton hopped on the flip-flop trend in the mid-2000s. Humble, single-sole sandal belongs at beaches, nail salons, not on the feet of style muses
Flip-flops may be stepping back onto the scene, and not everyone is happy about it,
As if teeny-weeny sunglasses plucked from The Matrix weren’t bad enough, now Vogue claims another cringeinducing fashion item from my tweens is back in style: the flip-flop. The style authority published a story advising readers that non-fashion flip-flops are back and frankly, I feel personally victimized.
According to the American magazine, perennially stylish French journalist Sophie Fontanel sporting the shower shoes outside of the men’s shows in Milan last weekend signalled their return to fashion’s good graces. The vraiment chic editor wore a classic Parisian look including a vintage Saint Laurent shirt, Céline skirt, Louis Vuitton sunglasses and Dior tote bag along with … blue Havaianas.
“I used to wear it when I was a child and I kept this habit. Ava Gardner, Ali MacGraw, Carolyn Bessette used to wear them, and nowadays Sofia Coppola wears them,” Fontanel explained to Vogue in an email. “Since it’s the simplest shoe ever, it enters into the category of a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans. I like it.” I mean, to each their own, etc., etc., but also, why?!
Now, I’m not a hater of the flip-flop, per se. The humble, single-sole thong sandal serves a multitude of purposes. The beach companion! The shield from questionable public shower floors! The at-home slipper stand-in! The postpedicure pal! But as an individual who once traipsed around Manhattan with a group of my 18-year-old besties, each of us sporting a different colour of those $4 foam flip-flops from Old Navy with our fake Canal St. Tiffany bracelets (we know better now, of course), Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirts and extreme lowrise, flared denim dragging under the thwack-thwack of the offensive footwear, the supposed return of casual flip-flops outside the beach/pool/gym shower is a suggestion by which I can’t abide.
Honestly, and I’m not even being dramatic (OK, maybe a little), I have earlyaughts style nightmares. I lived through the extremely regrettable fashion era as an impressionable, misguided youth and trust me, the style was mostly very, very bad.
Don’t get me wrong: I’ve certainly said I would never (NEVER!) wear a 1990s or early 2000s trend that came back around since I had lived through it the first time, and then found myself purchasing said trend just months later like a trend-hungry fashion zombie (I’m looking at you, chokers and Lucite heels). But the notion of casual foambottomed flip-flops with anything but a bathing suit or nail-salon athleisure sends a chill down my spine. Especially when there are so many other sleek, elevated slip-on sandals out there that are infinitely more chic than the ol’ Old Navy standby, right?
Mark my words: Even if I see my most beloved style muses traipsing around town in the situationally inappropriate footwear, this is one trend I won’t be flip-flopping on. I lived through the extremely regrettable early-aughts fashion era as an impressionable, misguided youth and the style was mostly bad