The Toe Ring to Sandal Pipeline
“Tumblr aesthetic”, “indie grunge”, “alt girl fashion”, “Y2K”, these keywords have bombarded Pinterest search bars worldwide. With fashion trends yearning for simpler times, the nostalgia of the early 2000s, with a heavy 90’s influence, has had us all in our fashion feels. From baggy jeans to graphic baby tees and bubble skirts, the rise of the 2000s has had a little something for everyone. However, a key staple accessory that every it-girl was donning in their summer sandals is mysteriously missing from the conversation: the toe ring.
Toe rings were a summer staple, paired with a french-tipped pedicure and a platform shoe, the girls that ‘get it’ got it and the guys with vision dipped their toes too. Toe rings were a staple in the 00s/90s coming in a wide variety of styles to fit any aesthetic, minimal and maximal. Maybe it’s because the earlier generations took things literally but a head-to-toe look wasn’t complete without one. While adorning your toes adds expression to a look, it does not come without a few cons.
Finding the right one with the right fit (like any piece of fashion) can be hard. Not having the right fit or style for you can be uncomfortable and make normal tasks like walking less comfortable. In addition, toe rings are like hair ties, they tend to get lost on a weekly basis. Lastly, the quality. Toe rings were an investment. The last thing anyone wanted was a green band around their toe from low-quality toe rings staining their skin after a long summer day. Inevitably the prominence of toe rings slowly fizzled out. What once used to be found in your local Claire’s at the mall has now been put on reserve for niche online boutiques and Etsy’s shops.
Fortunately for us, as one trend fades another adaptation always arises. Toe rings once reigned supreme because foot adornment has been enjoyed by humans across various religious, spiritual, and cultural practices for centuries. What better way to encompass a once need-to-have trend than to innovate it into an easy-to-wear must-have? We know them, we love them and you probably own them, meet the toe ring second iteration: the toe ring sandal.
From Steve Madden, Jeffrey Campbell to Tory Burch, designers have not missed a chance to innovate a beloved trend and make it fresh. Easy to walk in, hard to lose, and quality material, the things that once stopped people from joining in on the toe ring fun have been seamlessly resolved and integrated into a new staple design that I foresee being a part of summer fashion for the next decade. Easy to dress up and down, and available in multiple price points, this design will be in closets globally and gracing Pinterest boards for years to come. The beauty of staple and classic pieces is that their appeal never diminishes even when they disappear from the frontline. Once a staple, always a staple. With the right innovators and creative design, a revival is always possible. The toe ring-to-toe ring sandal pipeline proves that all good things don’t have to end.