Are These 1970s Danish Creepers the Next Ugly “It” Shoe?
Creepers–you know those flat-form shoes that were all over the spring runways that most people find horrendously ugly–are undeniably having a moment. Despite being called “the shoe equivalent of a turducken” by the Hairpin, and flat out “ugly” by the New York Post there’s a wait list in New York for Prada’s $795 creeper brogues.
So when I toured Danish shoe company Ecco‘s factory a few weeks ago during Copenhagen Fashion Week it made sense when they revealed that they were reviving their best-selling “Joke” model–a creeper if I ever saw one–for spring in bright bold colors. Plus, the Joke was created in 1971, so it’s right on target with the ’70s trend.
It’s an orthopedic-looking shoe that you might have seen your grandparents wearing. Apparently every little kid in Denmark grew up wearing them, too. Vivi Okholm who does marketing for Ecco sent over her school photo from 1983 where no less five kids in the front are wearing Jokes (see photo below).
But will folks actually wear them?
