Remember the days of hooning around in those rubbery jelly sandals that our parents loved because they were super easy to clean? They’re back, and they’ve been bougiefied by none other than Gucci.
Yep, those sandals that gave us all wicked blisters and sometimes had that nasty sweaty foot stank have returned as luxe designer statement footwear.
There’s no doubt in my mind that this is a direct result of the 20-year trend cycle rolling around to the late 90s/Y2K/early 00s, because heaps of my mates owned these when we were kids. Jelly shoes had a slight peek of a revival a couple of years ago — which is when I picked up a glittery pair at an op shop — but now they’ve hit the big time.
These particular sandals hark back to the nostalgic times of being a disgusting child who could not be trusted with anything other than a pair of shoes that could get chucked in a bucket of soapy water.
The new range — which is pitched at men but are clearly pretty non-gendered — comes in flat glossy black, the classic colourless transparent, and wine-bottle emerald green.
Design-wise, they’re pretty true to form: the iconic woven toe with adjustable straps and buckles on the side. The only difference — and the main reason why they have an AUD$700 price tag — is the Gucci Double G logo on the arch and “GUCCI” emblazoned on the sling heel strap.
The transparent variety is available through Ssense, the straight black ones are up on the Matches Fashion site and the gorgeous green emerald sandals are available on LUISAVIAROMA.
