Mandals aren’t the only unacceptable shoe hitting the pavement this summer. All around the country disastrous displays of rubber, plastic and leather are making appearances in parks and beaches on the weekends. One shoe in particular has caught my eye this year. As a child in the eighties, I kneeled before my bed every night and asked God to spare my virgin eyes from the sight of another huarache sandal. Apparently, somewhere along the way my direct line to God was cut because I have started to notice that huarache sandals are, in fact, back. It’s OK, take a minute, let it soak in.
Huaraches (hur-ah-chees), made infamous in 1963 by the Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ USA”, have been worn by Mexican peasants for hundreds of years. They started as woven leather tops with a leather sole, then mutated into leather tops and recycled tire bottoms around the 1930s and are now available in a variety of materials, including some with Velcro (I know, I just gagged too). In the proper setting, I’m sure they are cool. The proper setting is a remote Mexican village, not Magazine Street! For the same reasons I didn’t come back from Africa in traditional tribal garb, you should leave those huaraches in Mexico.
