It seems that the sandal du jour this season is Bernardo. And I'll be honest, I didn't know about the brand. However, I had no idea my ignorance of the line spoke to my ignorance of fashion and a truly iconic contributor, Bernardo's founder, Bernard Rudofsky – the creator and designer of the modern sandal.
I started to realize how clueless I was when on vacation with my parents last week. I said something along the lines of "Bernardo sandals are so hot this season." My Mother, in her infinite wisdom and tactful manner said, "Are you CRAZY? Bernardo has been hot since I was a little girl!"
And then the wheels started turning. I remembered and article from Vogue, oh, probably in January, mentioning that Jackie O had a pair in every color of the rainbow. I folded the page over with ever intention of getting a pair, but forgot to as I usually do when I dog ear magazine pages.
The point of this post is not to tell you about all the celebs that are wearing these sandals or how they are a "must have" – though they are. But rather to point out how fabulous it is to see a simple, cleanly designed shoe that has stood the test of time. After all, we wouldn't have sandals if it wasn't for Bernardo!
I would definitely advise you to buy a pair – Jackie O knew her stuff. Plus, Bernardo's designs have been on exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the pages of Vogue and Harper's BAZAAR ... very few pieces that make it on that circuit are affordable to the masses. So enjoy and start being thought of as timeless!
Watch an interview with Bernardo's designers!
1. They are the ugliest sandles I have ever seen besides flip flops!
aissatou at 6:48AM on Jul 16th 2007