If Brazil is the undisputed queen of sexy jelly shoes (Melissa, Grendha, etc.) then Canada is the queen of EVA shoes of questionable fashionability (I’m not sure there is such a word as fashionability, but if not, there ought to be). I’m sure you all know Crocs come from Canada and while the originals were about as fashionable as Ugg (ugh) boots, they are for some reason extremely popular. They’ve improved a bit as far as design goes and actually have some reasonably pretty shoes nowadays for women, though they are not in my good books right now as my Carlie peep toes have been absolutely killing the backs of my heels and costing me heaps of cash in plasters.
Aaaaanyway… Although I am yet to update my travel blog on the matter (it’s coming), I am currently in the Philippines, where I have come across a shop selling these shoes by Native. They’re also from Canada, also made out of that ultra-light, supposedly breathable EVA material and also vegan. On the other hand, they’re perforated for better air circulation and look like funky retro trainers/sneakers, rather than something that came off the end of Mickey Mouse’s foot. I’m sure the real fashion royalty among you are going to be horrified by the thought of EVA shoes of any sort (I do believe it’s some sort of plastic or rubber that’s meant to be eco friendly), but these do come in all kinds of mad and fun colours and make super cute summer or beach shoes. There are a few other designs too, all modeled after classic trainers styles – loafers, etc. and they come in sizes to fit both men and women.
I’ve managed to find some on Endless in the US and Amazon in the UK.
Oh look! Someone’s taken my favourite Melissa lace up brogue shoes and have turned them into pretty little boots! Look at how pretty and shiny they are! Like all of Melissa’s stuff, they’re made out of that weird rubbery plastic material that’s actually surprisingly breathable, but not to everyone’s taste. It does, however, smell like bubblegum, which is pretty cool. For something made out of plastic and hailing from Brazil, these are surprisingly retro. I bet they come in different colours too (wouldn’t they be awesome in some sort of bright colour?) but so far I’ve only seen them in black.
You can get them from BBoheme.
And tonight on “Shoes that make you go oooooooooh” – these sandals by Harajuku Lovers! They are so, so so so cute.
They come in black, white, red or yellow and each colour has its own cool little lady on the insole. It’s almost like a collect them all Pokemon thing and, frankly, at $35 a pair, it’s almost tempting to get a few different colours. I love the sexy wedge that’s just high enough to give you a nice profile but not too insane and I love the girlie bow. I also have a thing for jelly shoes, so I may be a bit biased, but I think these would make perfect summer shoes for everywhere and everything. If you’re the sort of person who likes even your casualest of beachwear to have a classy retro touch, then these are your sandals.
You can get them from Endless.
I spotted a pair of these in a shop window yesterday and managed to track them down online. As if moulded rubber lace up trainers in all kinds of mad and bright colours weren’t great enough, these ones are actually called “The Dude”, which reminds me of Big Lebowski and is therefore super uber great.
The downside is that they seem to come in only 3 sizes – small, medium and large. Handy if you’re more or less one of these sizes, not so much if you’re not. The larger sizes will fit men.
You can get them from OldgOLD.
Melissa, eat your heart out!
I love the looks of these shoes. Especially the whole strappy thing they’ve got going on, that apart from looking hot also means the shoe is very airy.
The bow just makes them extra cute, a bit retro and almost a little bit cartoony. In a sweet and girlie way.
Being designer shoes, they are not cheap, but then, neither are Melissa Shoes and these are a lot less common.
You can get them from Moschino.
Here’s another plastic / rubber creation from Marc Jacobs. This time, for the more grown up in style. These cute, Italian-made little black heels are classic enough to go with your little black dress. More importantly, look at how shiny and sleek they are!
They definitely get my vote for cool summer sandals you can dress down (cause they’re rubber) or up (cause of the design) and wear with everything – short, long, casual or even smart. Ish.
You can get them from Zappos.
Aren’t these fun and girlie? I like the cut out design and the little wedge, plus the ribbon makes a nice touch. Yup, rubber is definitely a vegan’s friend when it comes to summer footwear.
They are by Marc Jacob, and you can get them on the Zappos site. They come in a few different colours that are all rather cute and there’s also classic black for the purists.
These gold cut out rubber beauties are also by Marc Jacobs and also on Zappos. Are they shoes? Are they sandals? Either way, they’re unusual and sort of sexy (with the right outfit) and they also come in black.
Another pair of shoes for girls with a good sense of fun. These silly rubber pumps, apart from being cute, will also stop your feet from getting wet (in extremely shallow puddles), but let’s not pretend anyone would ever buy these for reasons of practicality. If you’ve got a hidden Strawberry Shortcake inside you, then you’ll love jumping about in these. Check out the neat polka dot pattern inside, too!
They also come in another loud pattern that’s definitely not strawberry-oriented, but is sort of retro 70s European mixed with chic green and white polka dots inside.
You can get either one at the Chinese Laundry site.
