According to an Authority, These Are the Best Clogs to Shop Now
Can you hear what I hear? Pair by pair, the best clogs are coming out of hiding. They’re clomping down staircases and city streets, edging toward cafe tills and moving across gallery floors. A pair of clogs in motion has always been a beautiful sound, but never as much as after this sad and silent year.
When we went into lockdown, I could not justify wearing any of my most beloved shoes. It seemed wrong, like opening your finest bottle of Champagne when you are home alone. As the creator of the Instagram account @thecloglife, I have come to see clogs as not just comfortable and practical but celebratory. Clogs signify a life where one does as one wants, and submits to the will of nobody else—corporate uniform and male gaze, be damned! Leave it to the other shoes to double as torture devices and to go in and out of fashion. Clogs are the heavy-hitters of my heart (and feet).
They’re also unfailingly cool. Ask Michelle Williams or Alexa Chung, who’ve long been turning to the wood-soled slip-ons to channel off-duty cool. Even Sarah Jessica Parker, whose eponymous shoe company peddles rainbow-colored skyscraper-high heels that belong in Carrie Bradshaw’s closet, is a devout #cloglifer. High fashion has recently come around. Chanel and Chloé and Bottega Veneta are all getting in on the act with luxe versions. At the Hermès spring 2021 show, every single model wore a studded pair with a subtle H.
Dating back to the 13th century, the clog has appeared as a wooden flip-flop in feudal Japan and on 19th-century Dutch farmers. They came back into fashion in the ’60s, when fans adopted them to signal a cute bohemian bent. While officially defined as a shoe with a wooden sole, the category has become more flexible, much like a rubbery Croc. If a space-age bubble shoe or sandal that click-clacks is more your speed, go for it. You will still be a card-carrying member of the club. It’s never too late to hop on the clog-wagon.
Here, our guide to the most charming and best clogs on offer.
Minimalist Clogs
A little can go a long way, especially when it comes to footwear that is hard to ignore. An unfussy pair from downtown Manhattan stalwarts Rachel Comey and No. 6 are always bold and beautiful.
