How to become a seasoned clog-wearer

The clunky wooden-soled shoes are the surprise hit of the season. Tread carefully out there, says Emma McCarthy
Top: three styles from a selection from £90, Swedish Hasbeens (swedishhasbeens.com)
Emma McCarthy11 August 2014

There on the stair — right there. Can you see them? It’s the season’s hottest shoe style. The humble clog, made famous by the well-dressed mouse we sung about as children, has fallen into the hands (onto the feet?) of the capital’s most stylish.

Well on their way to becoming the surprise hit of the summer season, clogs in every colour of the rainbow are everywhere. Championed by a host of cult shoe brands, most notably Swedish Hasbeens, which counts a heavy-duty wooden sole as part of its brand’s DNA, and Aussie label Funkis, which was recently given the seal of approval by Net-a-Porter, the clog is leading the charge in a season dominated by so-called ugly shoe styles. (See Birkenstocks, plastic pool slides, etc).

On trend: singer Foxes in clog sandals

Given the clog’s clunkiness (and the fact that they’re virtually impossible to walk in — you try braving the stairs at Angel Tube station when the escalator’s broken), they’re certainly an unlikely candidate for the difficult- to-please fashion customer. But that hasn’t stopped a wealth of the world’s most high-profile, left-field style plates from welcoming the shoe into their wardrobe. Unconventional icon Lena Dunham is a fan, as is rising star Foxes. And then there’s Kate — Moss that is, Middleton’s not there yet — who regularly makes the clog a key fixture in her holiday wardrobe.

But should we all be jumping on the bandwagon? While some would disagree, I say yes, provided you make a wise choice. As a general rule, tread carefully when shopping for clogs on the high street. The options in Topshop, for example, may come in cheery bright colours but running for the bus in them may not be so agreeable. While mid-market lifestyle brand Toast, on the other hand, stocks traditional Swedish brand Moheda, which has been crafting comfortable clogs since 1973.

Leather sandals, £85, Funkis (net-a-porter.com)
Wooden-heeled sandals, £48, Topshop (topshop.com)

Be warned, though, you can’t become a seasoned clog-wearer overnight. It takes time to master the art. Witness Clueless’s Cher Horowitz, who counts “breaking in her purple clogs” as a major life achievement.

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