Every season sees the return of an unexpected retro fashion and this year has been a bumper trip down memory lane. This week's most loved are baby pink Jelly Shoes from Chanel S/S12...
Every season sees the return of an unexpected retro fashion and this year has been a bumper trip down memory lane. The candy-coloured hair of the 90s has made a resurgence on the likes of model Charlotte Free, platform shoes reminiscent of the Spice Girls era stalked the A/W12 Miu Miu catwalk, and body piercings, previously consigned to the past with Judd Apatow’s Freaks and Geeks, are proliferating right now: cropping up in the Givenchy menswear show, in Dazed & Confused’s Grimes cover shoot and across the ears of the AnOther team. And nostalgia is evident in this week’s most loved item, baby pink Chanel S/S12 Jelly Shoes, chosen by AnOther's digital marketing and social media manager and t h i s / o r / t h a t / ? / founder Mélanie Crété.
Originating in post war Britain, where leather and other resources were scarce, jelly shoes started as a practical footwear option, ideal for wet or sandy conditions. The fashion was launched in the States at the 1982 World Fair in Knoxville, where a buyer for New York's Bloomingdales saw the display and promptly ordered 2,400 pairs in nine different styles. The shoes took off, and the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier were brought in to design new styles. However, the appeal of the jelly shoe has remained nostalgic and kitsch, never really stepping out of the arena of novelty footwear. Appearances on the silver screen have been limited, aside from the black pair that adorn the feet of Jeff Daniel's The Dude throughout The Big Lebowski, yet, with the production of a Chanel version, summer 2012 seems to be marked as their moment.
As the weather warms up and the beaches beckon, we speak to Crete about what inspired her attack of sartorial nostalgia, discuss summer traditions and pick an Olympic inspired soundtrack...
Why did you choose to love these Chanel jelly shoes?
I love plastic and the "tacky chic" look. These are the perfect example!
What outfit would you pair them with?
A denim jumpsuit and my legendary woven bike basket.
Where would be your ideal location to wear them?
The Dazed office.
Jelly shoes were an early 90s staple look - what other 90s or retro trends would you like to see back for the summer?
It looks like all the 90s trends are back, I'd like to find a good vintage Tommy Hilfiger or CK cropped T-shirt.
Do you have any summer traditions?
Getting tanned, taking an unnecessary amount of sunset pictures and having fun!
What's your summer soundtrack?
La Marseillaise, because of the Olympics!
What was the last thing you bought?
No jelly shoes but a pair of white patent Prada sandals from this season – unfortunately I have not had many occasions to wear them so I have displayed them in my living room!
Text by Tish Wrigley
