Some people think that this simple, humble shoe originated in Brazil, but the real ‘skinny’ on this beach slipper is that it derives its style from the Japanese traditional wooden sandal of a similar design with its thong separating the big toe from the rest of the little tootsies. Then, it was more clump-clump than flip-flop.
First came the ‘zori’, a woven-straw soled model with cloth straps rolled fat as cattails in velvets, brocades and luscious prints. Altering wood and straw to rubber was largely a post-war invention, and it was introduced gently (and cheaply) into the lexicon of beach shoes fit for sand and surf variously as a ‘thong’ (NOT the undies-version!), a ‘flip-flop’ due to the slapping sound the rubber made, and in Hawaii, where it is assumed to be the national shoe de choix, as a ‘slippah’. It is still common every day practice here in the islands to remove one’s slippahs before entering any house.
Dime-store varieties abounded long before Havaianas or Reefs latched on to this rubber treasure in the 80′s. The original version was almost always made with a white crinkly-waved top sole and a bright Crayon-colored edged bottom sole and divider found in colors like primary yellow, red, green or blue, and found encased in a crisp plastic bag with ‘Made in Taiwan’ stamped somewhere, for under a few bucks. They were disposable they were so cheap!
Lately, the flip-flop has gone all fashionista. They come in a rainbow of colors from palest pastel to darkest night; loads of up-beat street-styles, differing sole heights and can even be glammed up with rhinestones, flowers, logos and symbols. Even the straw version reappeared in a trimmer version and thinner straps. From South America to Australia, everyone and their cousin have a claim on its ‘discovery’. Gym, shower, yard, beach and pool are its native habitats, regardless of longitude and latitude.
Best of all, flip-flops are so versatile and transportable, they have now found their way off the beach into those urban girls’ club-sized hand bags. Nothing beats the treat for your feet after a night of clump-clump clubbing in those towering wooden heeled shoes like a pair of buttery soft well-worn flippies–and they fit so neatly in between the keys and lippie!