Sandals get a bum deal I reckon.
Even as a kid in the Sixties they had a bad rep.
When I say sandals I mean those shoes where the front end was heavily pierced with air holes topped with a large gap and a strap usually buckled.
Born from a need for less sweaty feet in Summer sandals became the unfortunate trademarks of 1. Nerds 2. Mummy's boys 3. Alter boys 4. little boys and 5. Dads. It was a peculiarly male phenomenon.
In that grooviest of decades I was both a little boy, a Mummy's boy and somewhat nerdy I think. Sandals were nailed on!
Even worse were the long knee socks we had to wear with them creating a look so ridiculed that it persists today as the 'socks and sandals' combo popular with older Dads and mocked by fashionistas everywhere. Only string vests generate more cultural vitriol.
There was one style of sandal that managed to evade all this mocking though, the plastic Jelly. I myself enjoyed the sharp clack of Jellies on our lino floors and appreciated their ability to easily go from one terrain to another such as kitchen to garden. They were the ATV'of sandals and could even withstand 1. the paddling pool 2. the swimming pool 3. the sea and 4. the bath [we didn't have a shower in the Sixties].
When I got older and interested in film I was always astounded that the oft-maligned sandal even had its own sub-genre of action film, sword and sandals. However these particular shoes were more usually the basic straps and lashings associated with the bronzed warriors of Ancient Greece, a far cry from the blue, brushed suede baskets from Clerks we had to endure as kids!
Here's an old piccy from my Butlins family album showing a whole assortment of sandalry worn by my Sixties clan. From left to right: Mum - stylish sandals 2. Big Brother - socks and plimsolls 3. Uncle Gordon - socks and sandals 4. Uncle Gordon's son - socks and sandals 5. Me [ showing off the Tudor Rose boat] - socks and jellies and 6. Auntie Terry - stylish sandals.
What are your sandal experiences readers?
Yep, also known as 'Jesus Boots'. We all went through it as kids and wouldn't dare wear them nowadays. The cooler kids slagged you off and the sandals themselves rarely fitted very well, so weren't great to run in. Though there were lots of other uncool fashion disasters I wore as a kid the worst I think was the red lumberjack zip up jacket with faux fur collar. Evey kid had one so at least we all looked stupid. Here's a similar one (not quite the one I had as a kid). http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mens-vintage-1970s-Lumberjack-jacket-/272704953504?hash=item3f7e7b5ca0:g:KlIAAOSw4A5YpGpF
ReplyDeleteHa ha, that name rings a bell Yorkie! I do wear modern sandals I have to admit, brands like Birkenstock, which are ultra comfy. I had a look at the lumberjack jacket and blam! it brought memories flooding back Yorkie! I had one or even two of those and recall the faux fur collar and wrists completely. I'm tempted to buy it!
Delete"those shoes where the front end was heavily pierced with air holes topped with a large gap and a strap usually buckled" - I remember them well! The soles used to melt if you left them upside down on (rare) sunny days
ReplyDeleteha ha, melting soles! I remember when the roads used to melt as well with huge gobs of soft tar squeezing up through the cracks! Love the name by the way, Maudlin Jack tar! Ace!
DeleteThe buckle broke on mine, Woodsy... forcing me to hobble home like mom's grumpy little soldier... the offending sandle still clutched firmly in hand as proof. That was in 1973, not recently I should add :D
ReplyDeleteThey were as uncomfortable as chuff when things went wrong weren't they Tone. Buckle busting rings a bell and maybe the front toe-end bending over mid-walk and creating an almost impossible lurch forward!
Deletesandle... errr? I mean Sandal :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't Sandle spice? Or is that Sandalwood, an after shave of old?
DeleteTend to wear open style sandals witohut socks- while working abroad once got stuck in a small enclosure with a scorpion (rather a cross one) running from wall to wall (me too)... -since then, have seen more advantages in the closed toe type...
ReplyDeleteha ha, love that story Andy. How did you and the Scorpion get out?
ReplyDeleteI jumped, the scorpion was not so lucky and got squashed...
ReplyDeleteWhat, you mean the scorpion ended up under your sandal Andy? Yuk!
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