Photo by Joe Schildhorn/Yesterday, models went makeup-less in silk, military surplus on the Marc Jacobs runway. And on the sidelines, everyone from Anna Wintour to Martha Stewart wore Beats by Dre headphones atop their perfectly coiffed blonde bobs to listen to the show's soundtrack. But the headphones possibly served another purpose: drowning out the fervent click-clacking that comes with Dr. Scholl's loud-as-hell wooden sandals -- the designer's shoe of choice.
While the Dr. Scholl's brand is now synonymous with weird foot problems, for NYFW the fugly, open-toed clogs received a lush update. Wrapped in velvet with bedazzled embellishments, they almost seemed chic again. Even though they're not even comfortable (if we're remembering the hazy details of the early 2000's correctly), they may be poised to take the reigns from Birkenstocks, which dominated the S/S 2013 runway.
Photo by Joe Schildhorn/Dr. Scholl's have been done at Fashion Week before, notably in Issac Mizrahi's 1993 runway show. And in the early 2000s, TV's It girls launched the humble, wannabe clog from a hippie artifact of the 70s to a must have of the moment. Jennifer Aniston wore the wooden-soled shoe on Friends and it was iconic when Sarah Jessica Parker had a Dr. Scholl's moment on the show that launched a thousand trends, Sex and the City. Kristen Dunst, Natalie Portman, and Michelle Williams could all be spotted wearing the shoe and from then on, Dr. Scholl's was cool -- until they weren't.
But we all know that the fashion tides come and go in cycles, so the Dr. Scholl's resurgence vibes were already in the air. Snapping pics at the Marc Jacobs show, the fashion editor for the LA Times tweeted, "You knew it was coming... haute Dr. Scholls." Indeed. And with fast-fashion retailers like Urban Outfitters stocking the shoe, it looks like the spring of Scholl's is upon us once again.