Wearing: Shorts + Lace Body – Mums Wardrobe Circa 1980, Floral Jacket – ASOS, Bag – Mulberry, Floral Headband – New Look, Sandals – Clarks
When I think of Clarks, I think of being forced into clumpy matte black pumps while all my school friends dance around in pretty patent T-bars with embroidered butterflies on the front.
“They will only get into trouble,” my mum would say convincingly as she quickly wedged my feet into another pair of supportive Velcro slip-ons. How could I possibly be a ten-year-old rock star with my feet confined to a Velcro prison? I wanted lace-ups. I wanted cut-out hearts, dangling metal flowers and shiny T-bars. I wanted to express my personality with bows and colours and patterns. Even buckles would do. Anything but Velcro.
Even at the ripe old age of 24, Clarks = school shoes. Boring, necessary, comfortable – all the words you never want to hear when spending your hard-earned cash on a pair of shoes. It’s just one of those unfortunate associations – like Zac Efron and High School Musical.
Until now that is.
As if reborn like a phoenix from the ash and rubble of the 1990s, Clarks has forced itself back into my wardrobe screaming “hey look at me now!” It never occurred to me that they sold anything other than school shoes and plimsolls.
These Romantic Moon sandals (above) are so unlike anything I would have expected from Clarks. Don’t get me wrong, they are ridiculously comfortable, but they are the kind of catwalk replica that you’d expect to find sold out in Zara or Topshop and scattered across the blogosphere in waves of mutual appreciation. Only these, my dear friends, are practical. They are made from super-soft leather, they don’t rub and there’s no need for wads of toilet paper down each side to reduce the risk of blisters. They are durable – they are exactly the kind of sandals our mums would choose for us if mums still had wardrobe power.
And why shouldn’t our shoes be comfortable? I am totally addicted to Clarks and practical fashion and I can’t think of anything better than a lilac and metallic combo right now. They are everything I want in a summer shoe and more. In fact, I am going to go as far as to say that I have never loved a pair of sandals more.
I don’t know if that’s because they are really pretty or because I feel like I owe it to my ten-year-old self, who is forever trapped in Velcro Mary-Janes.
Shop women’s sandals here.