Continuing from my previous post on UT Austin’s Hallway of Shoes, I’d like to highlight another classic shoe that keeps making its way into fashion’s annals, a bit to my dismay: the cork sandal.

“Platforms composed of layered Sardinian cork were a practical solution to the wartire shortage of wood, steel and leather. This rainbow sandal exudes the Hollywood glitz that inspired many of Ferragamo’s creations.”

Cork made its mark thanks to wartime shortages and has been very popular for as long as my young shoe memory can remember.

I was walking past Bloomingdale’s in midtown and saw this Juicy Couture cork sandal in a beach display in the window.

Here’s a better shot of it in blue.

I’m sorry Bloomie’s, but $250 for a cork and leather sandal called the “Kipper”??? To me, this is a recession copout sandal that the company is trying to make a bigger profit on, and I just see nada, zilch, zero reason for it to be $250. Cork is not as expensive as other materials, and there is hardly any leather on these strappy shoes.

In general, I’m very against cork sandals. I think they look cheap and cheesy, but to each her own, and perhaps some people think they look lovely and summery. I agree that they scream summer and know lots of people love them, but I could never bring myself to wear them. They remind me of espadrilles, which are made of rope and have an interesting history. I like to spend my hard-earned money on quality materials, and I do not count cork and rope amongst them. It’s said that cork is environmentally friendly, but I still can’t get myself to reconsider.

The nice thing about cork, of course, is that it’s light. When you have a large platform surface, it can be very heavy, and cork keeps it light. Also, cork is pretty liquid-resistant and impermeable, which is why it’s used as a wine bottle stopper. That means they’ll hold up against rain pretty well in terms of recovery.

What do you think about cork sandals? Does your shoe gut go ick like mine does, or do you think they’re cute and summery and fun? Do you wear them, and do you find them comfortable, light and convenient to throw in a beach bag to switch into after you leave the beach and the flip flops behind? Or would you rather be caught dead than wear them?