To the Brits they’re flip flops and the Kiwis call them jandals. In Australia, they’ll always be thongs and how to wear thongs here has always involved sun, sand and swimming. Nowadays, however, the beloved double-plugger has been asked to play a much broader role than simply cruising around the backyard barbie and along the beach. Today we want our thongs to fit into all manner of situations, from breakfast at the latest pop-up cafe to drinks in a gastro pub to dinner at a suburban bistro.
When thinking about toe thong style ideas, it pays to look at the roll call of celebrities and style icons, from Reese Witherspoon to Cate Blanchett, who have elevated the once humble toe thong into the high-fashion fold. This is an item that was originally designed to be worn with very little at all, so knowing how to wear toe thongs now is as much about choosing the right pair as it is about pairing them right with a great outfit.
Thanks to serious attention from some of the world’s best fashion houses, the humble toe thong needn’t drag an outfit into styleless oblivion. Gone are the scratchy plastic numbers of old, replaced by chic leather or smooth, refined rubber. With designs inspired by anything from Middle Eastern mosaics to gritty cyberpunk, the toe thong’s march into the spotlight of the fashion industry has sparked a profusion of styles. Here are some of the offerings.
Wrap up for summer
We are talking about an article of footwear that epitomises relaxation like no other, and so the conventional wisdom for how to wear thongs in summer would be to pair them with equally summery clothing, a wrap dress for instance. Wrap dresses tend to drink deep from the well of summer imagery — florals, bright colours, pretty patterns — and might go naturally with equally cutesy footwear. But opting for a left-of-field toe thong will perhaps add an unexpected touch of anarchy.
Versace’s decadent black toe thongs, for example, provide the ideal counterbalance to sweet summer prints. An arresting toe thong style idea would be to pair these with a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress in bold geometric designs for a balanced summer outfit.
On the red carpet
Ever since Michael Kors showed up to Bette Midler’s 2015 Halloween party wearing deep-red toe thongs, with a scarlet lei draped around his shoulders and matching ukulele in hand, there’s been much head scratching as to the toe thong’s place as a red carpet accessory or as an essential piece of dandy chic.
Wearing toe thongs on the red carpet (or to any formal event) is all about audacity: own it. Match the strap on a pair of Valentino toe thongs with your shirt and wear it with a short suit from that other dandyish iconoclast Thom Browne.
As office wear
If anyone was to walk the humble toe thong from beachy anonymity to the office, it would have to be style icon Cate Blanchett. There are few who nail how to wear thongs quite like Blanchett, who shows us just how formal this footwear can go. Blanchett mollifies the inherent irreverence of the toe thong by pairing them with a tailored linen pant suit, choosing thongs with a high level of ornamental detailing on the strap so they double as a bejewelled accessory.
Labels like Dolce & Gabbana use the strap of the toe thong as a canvas for a host of exquisite, jewelled detailing, instantly lifting the toe thong into a piece of office-ready attire. Think about pairing these with Isabel Benenato high-waisted trousers, a style that’s baggy enough to be informal — which is perfect because, hey, you’re wearing toe thongs — but ensure you still retain an air of office-ready respectability.
Formally (yes really)
Although styles of toe thong have been worn by many cultures going back to the Ancient Egyptians, the contemporary style can be traced to the Japanese zōri, which was brought to the United States after the Second World War (hence the New Zealand name jandals — Japanese sandals). In Japan, the zōri is still worn formally — indeed it is usually worn with a formal kimono — unlike the wooden geta, which tends to be more informal. This style has taken off outside of Japan as well, with more and more designers offering a formal take on the humble toe thong far from its beachy origins.
This is particularly true in menswear. Stars from George Clooney to Colin Farrell have been styled in looks featuring toe thongs and suits. It’s perhaps one of the more unlikely toe thong style ideas, but it’s taken the fashion world by storm, appearing in both Marni and Versace SS16 shows. If you’re leaning towards a more retro look, try a pair of Saint Laurent rainbow-patterned toe thongs.