If you presumed that the fashion world’s strange obsession with ‘ugly shoes‘ had reached its climax with the dad sandal, you’re in for a surprise.
National lockdown no doubt changed a number of our sartorial preferences, but the one item that very few fashion fans rotated out of their wardrobes was the humble Birkenstock sandal.
Once reserved for the hiking-obsessed dads (who, naturally, paired them with a weary old set of socks every damn time) they were adopted by the more style conscious a handful of years ago thanks, as tends to be the case, to Phoebe Philo who sent her own incarnations down the Celine runway in 2012.
The ideal option for months spent working at the kitchen table when the only time a shoe was called on would be for the quick dash to the corner store to check whether they’d had a loo roll delivery (remember those strange days?), they’d transitioned from the dad sandal to the fashion favourite to just about everyone’s favourite by the time May hit.
Now that they’re considered mainstream, however, fans of controversial style choices have moved on and discovered another area of the ‘ugly shoe’ arena that was so far untouched by anyone other than super traditional grandpas or paddling toddlers. Gold dust…
@brittanybathgate / Instagram
The fisherman sandal has been tentatively popping up on our Instagram feed over recent weeks thanks to some of our favourite, more pioneering fashion influencers.
Superfan of an unfussy aesthetic, Brittany Bathgate, was one of the first to bring them onto the platform.
@brittanybathgate / Instagram
Opting for a particularly epic pair by The Row (see, we told you they were cool), Brittany wore hers with a typically minimalist pair of black Toteme trousers and a white vest by Cos – introducing the potentially polarising shoe to her followers via a staple, inoffensive look.
Another fan of sartorial simplicity but with a more feminine flair, Monikh Dale, also opted for a clean colour palette but paired her fisherman sandals with a skimming white maxi-dress by La Collection.
@monikh / Instagram
Whether you’re into the versatility of the more classic black pairs, are looking for some that make a bit more of a statement, or fancy channelling your inner paddling toddler via a jelly pair, scroll down to shop our edit of the very best fisherman sandals to get your hands on right now.
They’ll be everywhere before long… trust us.