My feet are three inches off the ground. My ankles, secured with straps, have no anxiety. The balls of my heels roll with each step against a foundation that feigns a marshmallow density. I’m wearing flatforms and I’m above the world.
In the glut of options for warm-weather footwear, the
Generally speaking, the genre skews towards the dressed-down: a sandal communicates a casual insouciance. These are, with their lack of fiddly trimmings, what I just threw on. They are for lesser efforts, like wafting along the beach or running small errands in a dress that carries the gentle suggestion of being on vacation.
But the flatform is for dressing-up, too. It’s elevated, literally, with a silhouette that may be both precious and walkable they’re chunkier, sometimes puffed-up, always with a statement-but-sturdy sole that we imprint slowly with our own motions. It’s about prizing your own comfort, for the height that the flatform offers isn’t, like heels, vulnerable to the forces of gravity. They draw eyes, not injuries.
The current wave of flatform adoration feels more tied to high fashion, where proportion and scale are stretched like dough to challenge conventional taste. On the runway recently, Max Mara’s spring ready-to-wear collection, a veritable sea of neutrality, paired woven platform sandals with swooping skirts and oatmeal-coloured linen; while at Balmain, the flatform turned avant-garde, an oversized complement to otherworldly garments that draped as if they were a kind of bird of paradise armour. At Chloé, orange and white lug soles joined knitted dresses with cut-outs and slouchy suits, a fusion that seemed to adopt the mechanics of a high-low uniform.
"They look great paired with oversized denim or a tailored pant and are really great with a beautiful slip or dress," says Sarah Street, creative director of local footwear brand Bronwyn, whose latest collection features a generous 55mm-tall toe thong sandal called Billie. "Something I value is creating styles that are multi-purpose. We all lead multifaceted lives, so creating something that can transition with you as needed is key."
With a soft square toe shape, underfoot padding, rand detailing and a “rocker” on the front (“which helps to aid your natural foot movement so you don’t feel like you’re clomping around”), Billie offers a warm rush of 90s and early aughts nostalgia. Solid and towering, in delicious-sounding colourways including butter, you wear them to immediately feel pulled together to bring attention downwards, and lift yourself up.
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