Birckenstocks: A Longterm Love/Hate Relationship

11:30 PM

Love 'em or hate 'em for the past 3 (?) years they made a major comeback. Of course we're talking about birkenstocks. A shoe that we probably use to mock when we were younger because we believed it was a fashion statement only our grandparents or our fashion sense deprived uncles could make. But here we are seeing it everywhere and talking about it.

I think the first time I saw birkenstock-type sandals back on a runway was on the Celine S/S 2013 Ready-To-Wear show (the sesame street inspired ones with the furry bottoms). And it was kind of fun back then, mostly because it was something old and kind of querky which got revamped in a really NYFW minimal kind of way. And I guess that the fact that they made such a huge comeback the following season was kind of expected. But when they started becoming even a bigger thing over time it got me thinking; why are we so accepting over something that until recently we perceived as old fashioned (and not in a good way) or even ugly?

I believe that the acceptance is ignited by the fact that most fashion insiders try to make a stand against the comme-il-faut sense that the fashion world used to have (a choice powered by mixing sneakers with couture, as well. But that's a different story for another time.). As the years go by, streetstylers tend to go for comfort rather than the -until now- classic stylish flashiness (don't take this the wrong way, there are always exceptions out there!).

And naturally, whatever we're used seeing during the fashion weeks -not just on the runways but on the streets as well- quickly becomes a thing. So here we are, shuffling through eshops and discussing on wether birkenstocks, a potential prelude of the comeback of the '60's & '70's, are a must-have once again this season, or just another weird thing we choose to wear because of good ad campaigns and maybe a slight tendency to get bored of wearing heels.