Plastic fantastic

It all began with Chanel’s Aloha in 2007. The classic black slipper with a white camellia on the top delighted us with its simplicity and frivolity at the same time. Chanel later followed it up with coloured variants—-pink,orange and green— and even tres French strappy sandals. But the B/W number remains a lingering favourite—spotted on Karisma Kapoor (with a crisp white linen suit) and Haseena Jethmalani (with a cotton black jumpsuit shorts) only recently.

Chanel’s success spawned many followers. Louis Vuitton introduced an orange buxom floater,soon after. But by Spring-Summer 2010,almost every big fashion house was playing with colours in PVC. Gucci’s black GG Thong is also a tribute to their classic style. It’s a fuss-free black slim slipper with their basic GG logo at the centre. But their new collection sees them go vivid; they’re available in black,blue and pink. “They aren’t just for the monsoon,women have been picking them up all through the year,” says the helpful shop girl. The Mumbai store at the Trident is sold out,but they are available two Gucci stores in New Delhi (DLF Emporio and the Oberoi hotel). The success of the GG jelly has made Gucci bring out another PVC sandal in a look-at-me pink. This one will be launched for Spring 2011.

Jimmy Choo’s are the most fun. They currently have two styles: the classic Mani (from the Cruise 2009 line) and a trendier Jill shoe (Spring Summer 2010) in black and golden. “They do work very well in the monsoon,but they’re essentially beach sandals,” says their shop girl Dipti.

Tod’s is sold-out with their Flip Flops too. The success of their first line,in Spring last year,made them drop their prices a notch this year and it’s pinch-free at Rs 9,000. “It is the fastest selling item at this store,” says their Mumbai sales help,Nitin.

Juicy Couture (at Palladium,Mumbai) and See by Chloe (net-a-porter) also have jelly sandals worth looking into and are not as expensive. See’s green gladiators have a sense of humour but their orange tie-me-ups are a bit tedious to wear.

The most remarkable jelly shoes come from Brazil; a high-end shoe designer called Melissa ensures everyone chic in that extensive country has at least one pair. Moreover,she designs for many top- drawer names,especially Vivienne Westwood. You’ll find a floral bouquet on pair and a fruit basket on another; some are printed with Snow White and some with Mickey Mouse on them. These are clearly the most creative plastic shoes in the world.

It’s important to remember that jelly slippers aren’t the longest-lasting shoes you have. And they can’t be repaired officially either. My sparkly green Chanels travelled all the way to their Rue Cambon flagship for a fixing,but PVC cannot be stuck together aesthetically. So I did the next best thing,took it to the roadside cobbler who sutured it together for Rs 5. And no one can tell.