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When it comes to summer shoes, a wood-soled sandal is the kind of style that I can rarely pass up. No lie, I probably have at least a dozen in my collection. So, when none other than Carrie Bradshaw herself rolled up wearing a pair in season three of And Just Like That—the Dr. Scholl’s Original Sandal to be exact—I knew that summer was officially here, despite the June gloom lingering outside.
In the first episode, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) wears white Dr. Scholl’s sandals during an ice cream date with Sarita Choudhury’s Seema. (However, her choice of footwear was a little overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the oversized Maryam Keyhani bonnet.) While Carrie may be famous for her trove of Manolo Blahniks, Christian Louboutins, Jimmy Choos, and other designer heels, she’s evidently got a thing for these click-clacking clogs. After all, she wore quite a few pairs during the original Sex and the City run, including a pretty-in-pink version.
Much like Carrie, Dr. Scholl’s Original Sandal has its own storied history. Its origins date back to the late 1950s, when podiatrist Dr. William Scholl created a wooden-soled “exercise sandal” designed to engage the calf muscles through a natural toe-gripping motion while walking. The sandals hit their stride in the 1970s during the wooden-platform craze, becoming a staple of laid-back, effortless style. Over the past 60-plus years, they’ve continued to win the hearts (and soles) of celebrities and fashion icons alike, from Audrey Hepburn, Twiggy, and Jean Shrimpton to Alicia Silverstone, Michelle Williams, Kirsten Dunst in The Virgin Suicides, and Jennifer Aniston (both during her Friends era and in off-duty moments years later).
It’s no surprise that the sandals have such wide appeal. They’re cute, comfortable, and versatile enough to wear with dresses, jeans, skirts, skorts, and jorts. Fitness-friendly or not, these sandals are a classic that never go out of style. Once I saw Ms. Bradshaw bring them around, I realized I had to get a new pair for my arsenal (especially since most of my wooden heels are considerably higher platforms). I’ve already worn them out on a date with my husband, to the grocery store, and even to walk my dog. (Sorry, to my Crocs.) As Molly Rogers, the co-costume designer for And Just Like That, told me about these go-with-everything beauties, “You can always pull them out and enjoy them like a flip-flop.”
