You can’t fight it any longer. It’s officially a Crocs Girl Summer. Whether you’re firmly in camp Crocs or camp can’t-stand-them, Crocs are everywhere in 2021. But how did this most divisive of shoe styles blow-up as an influencer must-have and earn a place as this season’s most favoured footwear for the girls of Love Island?
Let’s rewind a few years… When Crocs first appeared on the Christopher Kane catwalk for Spring 2017 season, the fashion pack rolled their eyes. At this point we only knew Crocs as gardening shoes or perhaps the perfect (practical) footwear if you were a chef, dentist or aesthetician. Or parent to a small child and were a fan of their hose-down properties.
Christopher Kane Spring / Summer 2017.
In contrast, Kane’s Crocs were covered in crystals and gemstones – a clever take on the eternally cool high/low trope. It was clear that die-hard fashion fans and acolytes of Kane’s ever quirky approach to design would pounce on them, and they did. But they were still niche. Fast forward to Spring 2018 season. Platform Crocs cropped up on the Balenciaga catwalk. Our eyes slowly became more familiar with Crocs’ cartoon-ish styling and spotting such an affordable and sensible shoe in a high fashion setting seemed witty and fun.
Monica Feudi / Indigital.tv
Balenciaga Spring / Summer 2018.
The trickle down effect from from insider fashion accessory to mass celebrity must-have began with Ariana Grande, who was the first to sport socks and Crocs in 2019. We spotted them on the Oscars red carpet this year, on Questlove, the ceremony’s musical director and Justin Bieber’s paring of Crocs and socks divided the globe.
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More and more influencers started to pick-up on their jolie-laide appeal and searches for pink Crocs went up 666% – yes, you read that number correctly – while white Crocs have seen an increase of 311%. You can’t deny that Crocs provide a perfect foil for all the colour-clashing fashion we are wearing this season, especially when you add a scattering of Jibbitz charms to them.
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The style set have had a long history of wearing weird and wonderful pieces, especially those that are downright unattractive – just look at how popular dad sandals and ugly shoes have become this summer. Drilling down into the psychology of fashion, by choosing something perceived as ugly, you’re sending out signals that fashion is your priority – rather that choosing garms that are obviously pretty, chic or sexy.
Dad sandals are the new ugly shoe the fashion world can’t get enough of, so here are 22 chunky styles to shop now
Crocs are the ultimate man-repelling shoe but true fashion fans are fine with that. In the case of Love Island, the unsexy shoe is the antithesis of the traditionally perceived sexiness of the buffed, bronzed, waxed and stacked bodies on the show. Crocs have inserted themselves in an ironic and witty manner that proves fashion doesn’t take itself too seriously. We love to see it.
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Read more from Glamour UK Fashion Director at large Alex Fullerton here or follow her on Instagram @alexandrafullerton
The fashion world is obsessed with ‘ugly shoes’ again! Here’s our Fashion Editor’s pick of the best
