The pressing issue of our time must be dealt with, and the international ramifications are immense…
If it’s unclear when the cliche of the socks-and-sandals wearer became associated with Germans, the country has a well-documented history as a master of orthopedic sandals.
Birkenstock is obviously one of the world’s most famous brands in this field. German shoemaker Johann Adam Birkenstock established his family business in 1774. Their shoes with a cork insole were developed by 1945, and the first model resembling today’s widespread Birkenstock sandal was invented in 1964.
The shoe’s iconic status is largely due to the German-American designer Margot Fraser. While on a spa trip to Germany in 1966, she discovered how comfortable the sandals were. She started selling them in California in the 1960s, where they became popular among hippies.
In the 1980s, Fraser turned the brand into a multimillion-dollar business in the US. Today in North America, wearers of socks and sandals are rather seen as a West Coast phenomenon, satirized for instance through characters in the “Portlandia” television series and countless memes.
Another German orthopedic sandal with a cork wedge in the sole has recently gained popularity. The Wörishofer was developed in the Bavarian spa town of Bad Wörishofen in the 1940s. When Hollywood stars such as Kirsten Dunst and Maggie Gyllenhaal were spotted wearing them by 2010, the brand was added to the list of “ugly” shoes that became trendy, alongside Birkenstocks, Crocs and Ugg boots.
A close-up photograph of two feet wearing sandals and socks
Initially shower sandals, streetwear today: The AdiletteMeanwhile, the German footwear giant Adidas is behind another cult sandal. Its Adilette slides were designed in 1963 at the request of athletes who wanted a shoe they could wear in locker rooms and showers. With its orthopedic rubber sole and striped top, the iconic poolside model has since moved to the streets, and is often worn with socks too.
“Now on the streets of Berlin you’ll find at every corner youths who look like the reincarnation of the formerly typical German tourist — wearing shorts, a fishing hat, tennis socks and trekking sandals,” says Vogue’s Sämann.
Over the past few years, countless lifestyle magazines have been enthusiastically reporting that the former fashion no-go is now the hip thing to do. Main bonus points of the trend: It gives more exposure to those expensive designer socks, while hiding unsightly toes.
I once had a coworker who frequently wore those super nerdy toe-shoes. They were adorable.
Let your freak flag fly, you crazy kids!Report
Handknitters are another group that do socks-with-sandals to show off the socks. Usually Birkenstocks or similar (I know there was once a political argument about what Birks vs. the Israeli brand NAOT signalled, but geez, do we have to go to those places? and yes, I know, someone is going to argue with me that “yes, we do”)
I haven’t done it much in recent years, as I mostly wear dresses to work and I am not QUITE eccentric enough to wear a dress with ankle socks, but for casual days I absolutely have done it.
As oddities go, this one is minor and benign and if people have a problem with it it’s their problem.
Interesting to see it tagged as a “German” thing, though, I would not think of it as specifically German.Report
I’m with Fillyjonk, the socks matter. They can’t just be basic colors (black, brown, grey, white), they gotta pop at least a little bit, at least if you are wearing them as a choice.
That said, I love my Olukai flip flops, and in the fall, I’ve been known to dig out my tabi socks so I can wear my flip flops a bit later in the season, when I walk the dog or run to the store for one or two things (as opposed to, say, going out for a drink).Report
Olukais for me as well, though I also have a really comfortable pair of Reefs for around the house when I tire of going barefoot.
I never wear socks, and rarely wear anything at any time of year other than my sandals. I would go so far as to say wearing a “real” shoe would be considered dressing up — like a fancy birthday dinner or something — and by real shoe I usually just mean those covered sandals. The only other exception is dead of winter (San Diego winters are so cruel), or when I hike.
After going weeks or months without shoes or socks, my feet don’t appreciate the feel of either when I finally have to wear them due to a rainstorm or something.Report
I live in my Chaco z2s untill it gets too cold I have been known to also wear tabbi socks with them in the fall.Report
I have some pretty awesome socks and then I have this one pair of sandals that is super comfortable. I wear them together all the time and care not one iota about my appearance in them whatsoever.Report
This is perhaps the first blog post I’ve ever read that used the word “Birkenstocks” without also including the term “patchouli oil”, both in reference to West Coast hippies and anti-war protesters. 🙂
I think socks with sandals is right up there with pineapple on pizza. Some people feel quite strongly that it’s just wrong, so very very wrong.Report
There were a lot of people from Massachusetts at my college. The thing for them back then (and probably now) is that you put off wearing closed toe shoes for as long as possible for reasons which I never fully comprehended.* So when it got cold, you put on socks with sandals and probably did this until this first major snow storm.
Now don’t get me started on guys who wear black shoes and a belt with really light tan pants. Lots of guys seem deathly afraid of trying to wear anything but black shoes. It isn’t that hard!
But I am outside of the clothing zeitgeist and apparently a hold out on switching to wearing leisure wear/dressing like a schlub even during a pandemic.
*My best and yes snobby guess is that it is a combination of the Massachusetts weird combo of a somewhat persistent hippiedom, meets old school WASP/academic/anti NY bias re caring about fashion/dressing well. Massachusetts is still the land of wearing the hand me down tweed coat in many ways and less conspicuous displays of wealth than NYC.Report
The Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal strip has been at the forefront of this debate for a while now.Report
I don’t wear socks with sandals myself. Indeed, I rarely wear sandals. But I’ll be damned if I can figure out why I should care if anyone else does.Report