FIRST PERSON
MY O.C.
Forever in Flip-Flops Never mind an official season; locals know these sandals are year-round treasures. by Kathleen Clary Miller
H
ow about some kitten heels with that dress?” My daughter and I are perusing shoe options to go with my shimmery green dress for the holidays. She keeps trying, unsuccessfully, to cure me of my flipflop obsession. Sorry, dear; I’ve already decided on my nude thinstrap Rainbow Sandals. Before National Flip-Flop Day, the Wednesday after Memorial Day, the radio DJ had given notice so we could “dig them out” from the back of the closet and “dust them off for summer.” Dust them off for summer? I observe the noteworthy occasion year-round. Just as
I ignore the antiquated rule for when to wear white, sandals can—and should— be worn here in Orange County before Memorial Day, to Thanksgiving gatherings, on Christmas Day—every day! The term flip-flops has been used since 1960, possibly to reflect the sound they make when you walk in them. Before that, they were called “zori sandals,” first popularized in the United States when soldiers returned from World War II wearing the Japanese sandals of that name. In the 1950s, redesigns in bright colors surfaced, and in the ’60s, flip-flops became synonymous with the beach culture of Southern California. Australians call them “thongs,” New Zealanders “jandals,” and in South Africa or Zimbabwe, “slops” or “plakkies.” But worldwide, ever since Jimmy Buffett begrudged the fact that he blew his out in Margaritaville by stepping on a pop top, the name flip-flop has become ubiquitous. In my family circle, we always called them “beach walks,” a far more romantic moniker in my opinion. I WA S LIVI N G I N SAN Clemente in the 1980s when my friend Michelle glanced down at the dog-chewed ones I was wearing. It was clear to her I needed help. “You’ve never heard of Rainbows?” she asked, as if I’d said I didn’t know who the Beach Boys were. With two toddlers in tow, and overwhelmed in a less-than-stellar marriage to someone who was no help whatsoever, what did I know about quality sandals? I barely had enough time to brush my teeth let alone adhere to some idea of an Orange County fashion statement. But I was about to attend the first Christmas festivity since before my children were born. I had nothing in my closet except tennis shoes stained with baby food, so I thought, why not sandals? “I’ll take you to the Rainbow store!” she chirped enthusiastically. We piled into her van with the kids and drove the
84
O R A N G E C O A S T | December 2023
84 DEPT My OC.indd 84
illustration by DANIEL CASTIÑEIRAS
11/2/23 2:40 PM