Trend sleuth: Oxford…thongs?

Is there a name for these shoes? Full back coverage, but a bare thong in front? They seem to be the opposite of slingbacks (if footwear had antonyms, that is). For example:

Georgina Goodman sandals (with elasticized back and twist-tie thong), $325 at Barefoot Tess.

A very similar style comes from Irregular Choice–’Dirrty’, available for $110 at Nordstrom, in black or ‘snake’:

By comparison, these below are positively business-like:

Delman ‘Una’ Sandal, $300 at Barefoo Tess. The Anthropologie team captures their oxymoronic nature when they dub these shoes ‘Oxford thongs’.

Or how about these Tracy Reese fiery thongs, $338 at Anthropologie. What’s that sticking from the back, you say? Why, I’m glad you asked:

Shark-teeth brass-detailed spurs!!! Now, that’s original! And scary!

And these Cynthia Rowley ‘Tuxedo’ thongs sport a minimum-coverage quarter, positively risque compared to the styles above–$131 at Anthropologie. Strangely, they remind me of a penguin.

Here’s a much more dressed-up version, the Azzaro Crystal sandal, $570 at Neiman Marcus.

However, I urge you to stay away from some variations, like the model above, which are indeed tragic ($118 at Free People Boutique). Rather, take advantage of the current sales and snag this chic Michael Kors ‘Gavi’ sandal, only $70 at Bloomingdales (sadly, only in sizes 7 and 7.5).