Jelly Babies

Fashion followers worldwide are embracing their inner child this summer as what I thought as of one of the most unlikely fashion contenders makes a massive comeback. So massive in fact, that the likes of Gisele Bundchen has been spotted wearing them, and it seems that all of the top designers have their own versions on sale. Yes, incredibly, I’m talking about JELLY SANDALS.

Whereas usually I’d turn my nose up at anything so clumpy and ugly, most of this season’s jelly shoes don’t resemble either of these things. Givenchy’s lace up stilettos (see main pic) are just an example of how far the jelly shoe has morphed to suit our ever-so-much more sophisticated summer wardrobe since the age of six.

If you are a dedicated follower of fashion and suddenly can’t even imagine having feet without a pair of jellies on them, fear ye not, because there’s a pair of jelly shoes to suit everyone’s taste and budget.

Tod’s have a very pretty flat pink pair for around the RMB 900 mark, quite pricey for shoes made of jelly I think, but for this price you can usually expect a comfy fit and that your show wont melt on the next hot day. However, before you blow your monthly budget take a look at these other versions, Chloe’s ankle wrap jelly, Burberry T-strap jelly sandal, Roxy women’s Daphne sandal and, my favourite, Steve Madden’s Black Paris ‘gladiator style’ jelly. For those on the tightest of tight budgets but who can’t live without their fashion fix, check out this very cute RMB138 pair of pink platform jellies on taobao.com.

The more I think about it, the more the jelly sandal could make sense to us all in Beijing; when everyday in our fair city is unbelievably hot and often interrupted by bouts of gigantic thunder storms, you need a shoe that is cool to wear, looks pretty and is also waterproof. The answer is the jelly sandal!

Nikki Aaron