I don’t think the world is, as yet, over Celine S/S ‘13 and the so called ‘ugly shoes’, ‘utilitarian sandal’ or, as my work college likes to call them ‘Jesus Sandals’. That’s right, no heel, no pointy toe and definitely no studs. Just an ergonomic muppet-fur-lined sole with two straps (straight up or crisscrossed, as you like). It gave me such a shock to the system that I went out immediately and bought not one, but two pairs of Birkenstock Arizona’s, a close proxy to the Celine fur lined slipper, one pair for me and one pair as a gift for the boy in my life. The idea was, of course, that this was a pair of shoes my boyfriend and I could legitimately twin in around town. Inevitably while I wore mine as a conscious style choice, his was just a comfortable pair of shoes around the house. A perfect specimen of style plus function.

The ugly shoe revival proper can surely be pinned down to 2014, with orthopedic-chic sandals popping up all over the place, from the lookbooks of Dion Lee to catwalk collections of Trina Turk and Tibi.

But the inherent minimalistic charm of Birkenstocks isn’t appreciated by everyone. Frankly, they are probably appreciated by hardly anyone at all. So owning a pair and seriously wearing them admits one into an exclusive club of sorts, with fellow Birkenstock wearers giving each other the knowing nod when passing in the street (or perhaps that’s completely one sided on my part!).

While wearing my ugly sandals more often attracts more ridicule than admiration (for now), it’s just too much fun dreaming up all the ways I can wear them. Someone suggested to me that they could even be an evening shoe. That was the most sensible thing I’d heard all day.

‘Boswe’ Asymmetric Zip Moto Jacket c/o Jessica Buurman  Trenery T Shirt Thrifted Distressed Jeans Birkenstock Arizona’s (here, here and here)  3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli Satchel  Swarovski Elements Leather Bracelet