Flip Flops For Fun And Fashion
For some people, gaudy is the only way to go — wearing sickeningly expensive sports shoes that have been named after famous sports celebrities and stilettos created by European fashion designers. However, there are times when it is simply tacky and downright ridiculous to be wearing the above-mentioned shoes.
Imagine you are at the beach. Those branded pumps are not exactly the best choice for footwear for walking along the sandy beach, are they? And what if you just need to walk up to your mailbox and get the mail. Would you spend five minutes tying up those shoe laces or simply slip your feet into something simple like flip flops to protect your feet from the hot pavement?
Flip flops are footwear that are extremely popular with everyone no matter how rich or poor or how picky they are when it comes to footwear. Flip flops are easy to wear; there is nothing fussy about them. Flip flops are also called other names: thong, jandals, pluggers, sandals. Whatever they are called, though, flip flops are able to provide protection to your feet.
Flip flops trace their roots from the beginning of society; it is as old as the idea of the shoe itself. However, flip flops are recently only beginning to become popular in developed worlds. During the pre-Civil War era, thong-like shoes that were called “flip flaps” may have been used by a lot of people. In 1930s New Zealand, the people there wore a simple version of zori, a Japanese thong. In 1945, after the war, the concept of zori was introduced to thousands of allied servicemen while they were stationed in Japan.
The modern-day flip flops we know today are made out of foam and rubber were not introduced until 1957, more than a decade since the end of the war. A New Zealander named Morris Yock was the first to patent the flip flops’ modern design. These flip flops were later sold in New Zealand and they were called the “Jandal”, which was short for Japanese sandal.
There is another inventor of the modern-day flip flops, John Cowie, and he and Yock’s heirs are in the middle of a patent dispute. Nevertheless, the simple and basic design of the modern-day flip flops is effective. These shoes are certainly the cheapest casual and open-air shoes you will ever find. It is especially popular among people who live in beach communities.
The flip flops of today come in a wide variety of styles and can be worn by both males and females such as Lacoste flip flops. You will find colorful flip flops, as well as flip flops with outlandish designs. The styles are also varied — from the outrageous, showy flip flops like Hello Kitty flip flops to conservative, almost businesslike thongs.
A few years back, a dressier style of flip flops created quite a store. Some of the members of Northwestern University’s Women’s Lacross Team wore flip flops when they visited the White House. Critics found it insulting, saying it was improper for the young women to wear casual footwear to the White House. However, the women defended themselves, saying the flip flops they wore were not ordinary flip flops; they were dressy sandals that sported a thong design.
In the last few decades, flip flops are increasingly becoming popular with people in all walks of life. What draws most people to these footwear is that they are inexpensive. They are also the most laid back of all footwear. Flip flops are also not designed to last for years or to be worn for more than a few months. As cheap as they are, very rarely will you find flip flops that are extremely durable. These shoes are disposable. But what makes flip flops a staple for many year after year? It is the fact that they are comfortable to wear and for a dollar or two, you can have a pair of flip flops to wear!