Birkenstocks: The new shoe celebrities love for summer

BIRKENSTOCKS are back. Three continents of Vogue have put their stamp of approval to the orthopedic sandal beloved by hippies and those with a penchant for comfortable yet aesthetically-challenged footwear.  

Heid Klum

BIRKENSTOCKS are back. Three continents of Vogue have put their stamp of approval to the orthopedic sandal beloved by hippies and those with a penchant for comfortable yet aesthetically-challenged footwear.

Vogue.com ran a feature proclaiming it the shoe of the season, with several staffers admitting to wearing them in the magazine’s New York office. Vogue Paris featured an entire shoot styled with Birkenstocks, and Vogue Australia put them on Miranda Kerr in a recent fashion spread.

As if that wasn’t enough to initiate it as the season’s It shoe, celebrities including Heidi Klum, Ashley Olsen, Naomi Watts and Keira Knightley have been spotted in various Birkenstock styles, and Miley Cyrus made an appearance in the Celine version that started the revival.

Referred to as the “furkenstock”, the fur-lined sandal was presented on the Celine catwalk in Paris earlier this year. Designers including Giambattista Valli and Miu Miu also sent their embellished takes on Birkenstock down the runway to accompany their spring collections.

Speculation has it that this new penchant for an ugly It shoe is a continuation of the 90s nostalgia that has infiltrated the past few seasons of fashion wear (hence the resurgence of crop tops).

What makes a shoe the right kind of ugly? It’s all about thick straps - double if you can – buckles, and a sturdy, sensible frame. Keep colours neutral – celebrities are favoring tan, black, khaki and silver. 

So can you simply drag the Birkenstocks – or for that matter, Jesus sandals – out from under the bed, switch in place of your trusty rubber thongs, and march fashionably out? Not quite. 

“It can’t look like you’ve had them for years like in the old days; otherwise it reads hippie,” says Vogue.com contributor Jane Herman Bishop. “A fresh pedicure is a must.”

Crocs, in case you were wondering, are still firmly on the “out” list. Maybe next season.