When Karl Lagerfeld sent clog cladded feet down his Spring 2010 catwalk, there was a collective intake of bewildered breath. Yet, little over six months on, internet searches for clogs are up 200%, and the trend has already trickled down from high-end fashion house Chanel to high street heavyweight Topshop. Yes, clogs are most definitely back, but not as we know them.

 
If right about now you are conjuring up images of upturned wooden toes and Dutch milk maids, stop! The 2010 incarnation of the oft’ vilified clog, is a far yodel from the traditional farm friendly footwear of yesteryear. Even those clumpy wood/leather hybrids you had when you were 12, are only a distant relative of Chanel's current foot candy. Beautifully embellished with cutesy corsages and oh-so-now studding, the new generation clog is designed for the style conscious city girl; traditional hard-wear combines with killer heels, to earn any girl brave enough some serious style points.

 
Clogs have been in production since the 1400’s, possibly longer, and in the early 1900’s there were over 3000 men working in the clog industry in Lancashire. The downturn of this boom only came about when people started to consider clogs the ‘shoe of the poor’. An amusing statement when you consider a pair of Chanel beauties will set you back at least £850. You don’t have to go designer, obviously. As with all major new trends the clog has diffused its way down from luxury labels, through department store designers, all the way to high street and online retailers like Office and ASOS. For girly gorgeousness and for those who have saved for a rainy, or should that be sunny, day, you can’t beat Miu Miu's delicate Duchesse Flower clogs. At over £300 though, you might be better heading to River Island, where for £40 you can dip your toe into this fleeting fad without feeling the pinch.

 
Let’s be honest, even the all new clogs are still a bit clumpy. Those big wooden heels, the bulbous toes, they do not a dainty shoe make. Such sturdiness needs to be teamed with something more delicate, a juxtaposition of light and airy against bulky and badass. To once again hark back to Chanel's runway show, the models wore floaty, flowy skirts, short shorts and pretty, feminine dresses with their wooden lovelies. For a celebrity injection of inspiration look to label lover Alexa Chung or simple yet stylish Rachel Bilson.

 
Even as I write this I am unsure where I stand on the clog trend. My abiding memory of clogs is being stood in ‘Shoe Tree’ when I was about 11 years old, begging my mum for a pair made of black pleather. I didn’t get them. Perhaps I am resentful of the pain that experience caused me or maybe I just know the weight of those babies on my size threes will look entirely wrong. What I do know, is that the clog romance will be a fleeting one, another lost lover that fashion chews up and spits out when the Next Big Thing comes along. While they are still clogging(!) up our shops I will perhaps dare to try a pair, maybe consider how they’ll look with my new ethereal dress from Mango, but I will not, absolutely not, consider investing in those amazing sheepskin lined Miu Miu clog boots, or should that be cloots!

Words by Emma Grainger. Image sources to follow shortly.

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