Weighing in on Cork Sandals
posted by: freePOrnaoa in General on July 6th, 2009
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?
10 Comments
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December 21, 2012 at 5:22 pm, Louboutin UK said:
a pair that’s mid-calf in length will make your legs look stubby and short.
July 29, 2009 at 6:20 am, Top Summer Ankle Strap Shoes | Hana-Sui Online Boutique said:
[...] Weighing in on Cork Sandals (shoeblog.com) [...]
July 08, 2009 at 4:48 pm, Britney Spears for Candies | ShoeBlog said:
[...] and finally, because we all know just how much trainingheels loves cork: [...]
July 08, 2009 at 5:03 am, Kelly said:
I'm loving the high wedge, cork sandals awesome. Bakersshoes.com has some great deals!!!!!
July 07, 2009 at 3:12 am, Rai said:
I own several cork wedges and got to say. I will never give them up. I love them and their the perfect beach wear. For a girl who "hates" flip flops and flat sandals.
July 07, 2009 at 3:06 am, Nalini said:
Cork is great for $60 but not $250. I wouldn't mind wearing it but not for that price. Juicy shoes are always over priced.
July 06, 2009 at 11:03 pm, Katherine said:
I like the way cork looks on some shoes, but it looks very cheap and cheesy most of the time.
July 06, 2009 at 10:36 pm, Meream said:
I don't like cork, either. But only because I don't like patterned heels. I like my heels (or wedges) plain.
July 06, 2009 at 4:15 pm, Michelle said:
I'm with you on cork – I think a huge part of it with me is that I tend towards black over brown as a neutral so I'd have a hard time matching. The Juicy Couture shoes ARE pretty cute, but not something I'd wear because of the matching issue.
July 06, 2009 at 2:28 pm, r5bales said:
A buddy of mine once told me to NEVER wear cork because it doesn't move like leather and eventually it will break. I am suspicious she meant a thinner 1/2 inch platform. Recently I was given a pair of those Juicy sandals and I love them. They are so light weight it makes it easy to walk. I won't go into the reason for the cost, however, they fit my wide-ish feet.
I HAVE forgotten the height and tripped because I was not paying attention to just how high the platforms are. That being said, will I wear cork ONLY in summer. The same goes with espadrilles.
Historically, the first platforms were made of cork.