Crocs first popped up 14 years ago in 2002, and for the most part, people hated them. Sure they were comfortable with those little raised dots inside the shoe and they were wondrously waterproof but they looked terrible. There was nothing fashionable about wearing clunky clogs in bright colors with holes on the top. You could not pair Crocs with your outfit and look stylish. But 14 years is a long time and things have changed. Crocs are no longer solely about those original clogs (though they do still sell those!); instead, Crocs have begun to focus on style and form, while still maintaining the comfort of the original shoes.
My best friend supported Crocs way back then and continues to to this day. I still remember the day I first saw her wearing them, slightly horrified by the chunky shoes she was wearing. And last year, I saw her wearing Crocs again, but this time, they were chic wedges and I simply couldn’t believe it when she told me they were Crocs. She convinced me to check out the brand and I bought my first pair over the summer once I saw that they company had expanded its line into flats, sandals, boots, and shoes, among others.
The main draw to Crocs is their waterproofness. I am a diehard flats girl; as soon as the weather rises above 50°, I have a pair of flats on. The only issue with flats is that they are not the ideal footwear when it’s raining outside. But the waterproofness of Crocs makes them great for when it’s wet outside, and now that they’ve updated their styles, their flats actually look good. They’ve got a model with a beautiful pointed toe, reminiscent of the Italian style and the side cutouts are sleek and elegant, elevating the flat from just a simple pointed-toe shoe.
There are pretty sandals, the thin double straps giving it a little extra oomph.
They even sell boatshoes that look almost identical to Sperry’s (and no one has any issues with Sperry’s).
When colder weather rolls around, they sell boots like these wedges with the beautiful lace-up detail.
Crocs were once terribly unstylish but have since transformed their design into something modern and trendy. Despite the breadth of the brand, each model is consistent in providing comfort while still being fashionable. So maybe it’s time we update our thoughts about Crocs the same way that Crocs has updated its brand to become something chic and wearable.