Shoes
Sep 14, 2018

My Boss Made Me Wear Wedge-Heel Crocs, and I Actually Didn't Hate It

by Allyson Payer

Although I've been down with a few "ugly" shoe trends in the past, I've never been a Crocs wearer. I certainly have an appreciation for comfort, but it's admittedly not my number one priority when choosing shoes. So, I tend to ignore it when Crocs gain more buzz in the fashion world, which has been more frequent than you would imagine recently as a result of designer collaborations from the likes of Balenciaga and Christopher Kane.

Last month, news of the new high-heel Croc sandals was widely covered across the internet, which, naturally, led to some ongoing discussion among the Who What Wear team and, eventually, my boss (and our Editor in Chief) Kat Collings asking me to try them out. I didn't exactly jump at the chance, but I conceded.

Upon reaching out to Crocs, I was surprised to learn that the high heels everyone was buzzing about were actually a style from 2015 that's long been sold out (although you can get them for a major mark-up on Amazon). They pointed me in the direction of the brand's more recent heel styles, and I decided on a pair of wedges (also very polarising). The next thing I knew, FedEx was at my door to deliver a lime green bag with Crocs emblazoned across it for all the world to see. I quickly signed for it and officially became a first-time Crocs owner. Read on for the play-by-play of my Crocs-wearing experience.

My initial reaction was that the wedge-heel Crocs were the most comfortable shoes my feet have ever known. They were incredibly lightweight and cloud-like. I never knew rubber could be so soft. My next thought was Now what do I wear with these rubbery wedges? I decided to go with simple pieces that were also a bit ironic: a Fiorucci angel T-shirt and a very colorful beaded Susan Alexandra bag, paired with denim. The next step was to set out on my Sunday of brunch and errands with my husband.

Speaking of my husband, Mark, he knows how carefully I choose what I buy and wear and typically gives his (oft-humorous) feedback. I decided to not point out the Crocs to him and instead just see if he'd notice. He didn't, and I'm not sure if that speaks well for the Crocs heels or not. It wasn't until I had him take my picture that I revealed I was wearing Crocs and why. His reaction can best be described as somewhere between indifferent and slightly amused.

By the time mid-afternoon rolled around, I'd been wearing the Crocs for several hours and noticed they weren't quite as comfortable as they initially were. The straps were digging into my skin a bit, so I assume they require a little breaking in before reaching peak comfortable-shoe status. Aside from that, my unexpected takeaway is that not once did I feel embarrassed by my choice of footwear for the day. Sure, I was conscious of them, but not embarrassed. They're subtle enough to go unnoticed, and Kat had a helpful way of looking at it: She said to imagine Pernille Teisbaek in them. (For context, the incredibly chic Scandi-cool stylist and influencer is responsible for the burgeoning Havianas flip-flops trend, after donning them at the most recent Paris Couture Fashion Week and Copenhagen Fashion Week.)

The verdict? I survived my first-time Crocs-wearing adventure, and yes, I'd do it again. Scroll on the shop the Crocs I wore and more of the brand's most wearable wedges and heels.