There’s something evocative about sandals. The footwear of sultry months, it’s reminiscent of rock pools and sandy beaches, painted toenails and dads in socks. Flamboyant or minimal, strappy or clunky, it’s the easiest thing to slip into when the temperatures begin to creep up.
The sandal is one of the oldest forms of footwear too—the most ancient known examples, found in Fort Rock Cave in Oregon and woven from sagebrush bark, dating back more than 10,000 years. It’s an item with a truly global span though, its origins apparent in everything from Roman caligae (stiff leather sandal boots) to Japanese geta (a sometimes raised wooden board with a cloth thong, often worn with tabi socks) to Indian paduka (comprised of a wooden sole with a metal stub). The word sandal itself has Greek and potentially Persian roots—think of Hermes, the swift messenger of Greek mythology, with his talaria (winged sandals) zooming him on his mischievous way. Other historic examples include sandals made out of materials ranging from cork to tatami to twigs.
Above: The Greek god Hermes with winged helmet and sandals. Image credit: Getty Images
Predictably, sandals were most prevalent in countries where climate necessitated footwear that simultaneously protected the foot and didn’t overheat it, often with specific design details relating to the needs of the wearer, such as wider soles or curved toes to accommodate the terrain being crossed. There were questions of embellishment at play too—this breathable form of footwear also offering the chance for decorative elements like beads, carvings or dyed gold leather. (Inevitably the sandal, like pretty much every other item in the history of humans putting things on their bodies, quickly became a means of demarcating wealth and status too.)
Skip forward to the Victorian era and one man in Britain was thinking a lot about sandals. His name was Edward Carpenter and he believed that normal shoes were akin to “leather coffins”. A queer socialist writer and campaigner, Carpenter’s work and writings were hugely influential—as were his footwear choices. He is widely credited with introducing the sandal to Britain after being sent two pairs of Kashmiri sandals from India by a friend. After his death he’d even be dubbed the Saint in Sandals.
Above: Model wearing white high-lacing sandals from Delman and sheer stockings from Artcraft in Vogue, 1946. Image credit: John Rawlings/Condé Nast via Getty Images
For Carpenter, sandal-wearing signified a very specific choice—one enmeshed in the politics of liberation and simplicity. As the 20th century reared its head, the sandal would take on other meanings and slowly become a part of many people’s wardrobes. In the 1920s, women paired theirs with beach pyjamas for days out in the sun. By the 1930s, heeled sandals—ideal for dancing the night away—would prove popular, seen on the feet of stars like Ginger Rogers and Lana Turner. A glut of other styles emerged alongside, from espadrilles to slingbacks to straw sandals inspired by the Mexican huarache.
Above: Ginger Rogers. Image credit: Getty Images
As the centuries passed and mass production increased, emphasis on toes and ankles and everything else grew too. Come the 1960s the modern iteration of flip-flops experienced a huge boost in popularity (with the Brazilian Havaianas, inspired by Japanese Zori, quickly gaining ground), as did so-called Jesus sandals—the perfect footwear for hippies and flower children everywhere. Even Jackie O favoured an elegant sandal, loving one particular design she sourced in Capri so much that she asked her local cobbler in Florida to replicate them, spawning the Jack Rogers label.
Above: Jackie Kennedy in Capri, August 1970. Image credit: Getty Images
Above: Flat brown suede hurache-sandals by Calvin Klein in Vogue, 1977. Image credit: Arthur Elgort/Conde Nast via Getty Images
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This emphasis on all things minimal and effortless reached its apotheosis with the introduction of the Birkenstock. Although the company had been around since the 18th century, it was only in the mid-1960s that Karl Birkenstock added arch-supporting inserts – ensuring a degree of personalised comfort for wearers. In 2012, Celine provided a tongue-in-cheek riff on them, adding a lining of fur to this most pragmatic of sandal designs.
Above: Birkenstocks on the streets of Milan in 2014. Image credit: Getty Images
The Birkenstock is still just as popular today, joining the ranks of the numerous kinds of sandals now tripping around. Whether one wants to emulate ancient soldiers and Kate Moss circa 2004 in gladiator sandals (see Jacquemus and Alberta Ferretti spring/summer 2019 for some updates), plump for a pair of Steve Madden reissues evoking the 1990s love of Spice Girls-style thick soles, indulge in some jelly shoes redolent of childhood holidays (found at Alexa Chung spring/summer 2019), choose feathers in a conscious homage to Hermes’s winged heels (Dior spring/summer 2019), or follow in the glamorous footsteps of generations of women in Ferragamo sandals, the options are now endless—with variations to suit every kind of foot as summer beckons.
Above: Jacquemus spring/summer 2019 show in Paris. Image credit: Getty Images
Alberta Ferretti spring/summer 2019 show in Milan. Image credit: Getty Images
Alexa Chung spring/summer 2019 show in London. Image credit: Getty Images
Fendi sandals on the streets of Milan in 2019. Image credit: Getty Images
Street style from the haute couture shows in Paris in 2019. Image credit: Jonathan Daniel Pryce
Street style from the haute couture shows in Paris in 2019. Image credit: Jonathan Daniel Pryce