Just as eyes are the window to the soul, shoes give you the clearest picture of a decade\u2019s fashion. For me, the \u201990s will forever be synonymous with the sandal. From Carrie Bradshaw\u2019s barely-there Manolo Blahniks to Jennifer Aniston\u2019s off-duty<\/a> flip-flops<\/a>, a handful of sandal silhouettes defined the look back then; coincidentally, they\u2019re the very same styles we\u2019re seeing everywhere now.<\/p>\n Gianvito Rossi Gwyneth 85 leather sandals<\/p>\n Jump to review<\/a><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n Manolo Blahnik Jadarona 70 leather mules<\/p>\n Jump to review<\/a><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n St. Agni Petit Belt slingback sandals<\/p>\n Jump to review<\/a><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n As a \u201990s baby who fell in love with fashion in the early aughts, a handful of images and iconic moments of that era live rent-free in my mind, like Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in her Prada sandals outside her Tribeca apartment, or the strappy Manolo Blahnik heels backstage at Michael Kors. (Both are styles I have sourced vintage.)<\/p>\n The decade marked a notable shift away from the constraints of overly conservative heels of the \u201980s toward something more stylish and sensible, for the girl-about-town who needed shoes to work as hard as she did. Designers like Manolo Blahnik and Miuccia Prada mastered this visual language in the \u201990s, creating pairs that were as lusted after then as they are now.<\/p>\n The minimalist nature of these sandals has given them a staying power that\u2019s outlasted nearly every shoe trend<\/a> since. I find myself returning to these same silhouettes, not just for their cultural cachet, but for the feeling. Dressing in the \u201990s was lighter, freer, more instinctual. Beyond the nostalgia that inspires much of my vintage sourcing today, there was an ease to these shoes that still reads modern today. And it proves just how little a great sandal needs to change to remain relevant.<\/p>\n From Prada\u2019s most recent runway to Demna\u2019s ode to the Tom Ford era at Gucci, today\u2019s coveted sandals keep circling back to what the \u201990s got right: sensual without trying too hard, practical enough for women constantly on the go, yet refined enough to define an entire look. Let\u2019s take a closer look at which they are.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe \u201990s Sandal Trends to Know<\/h2>\n
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