Women’s wooden sole slip on sandals designed as exercise sandals that came in a variety of colours. These health sandals were so popular in the 1970s it seemed as if every one was wearing them in summer. A nightmare to break in. The first few days could be agony until you got used to them.
The fashion for wearing Dr Scholls exercise sandals was one of the bizarre fads of the early 70s. Fashion is not usually known as doing you good, yet these simple wooden shoes apparently had medical benefits for people suffering with back pain and helped to tone your leg muscles. Why that should interest school kids and young women – the same ones later wearing huge platform soles is anyone’s guess.
Dr Scholls were not that easy to wear. Once you got through the agony of the breaking in period where the wood and leather could rub your feet, you had to get used to the gripping action you needed to keep them on. The idea was that these “exercises” caused by the gripping, would tone the muscles of the legs. In reality, girls were always losing their sandals, as they would fly off the feet when walking.
Dr Scholls first became popular in the late 60s because they looked good with the mini skirt. The style continued into the 70s and this classic exercise sandal was a must have part of every girls wardrobe.
Dr Scholl is still going. In the early 1960s, the brand was one of the most well known in the world. Today, the company is not as high profile as it once was but is still making shoes that are designed with the skeleton of the foot in mind.
You can still buy the classic exercise sandal new from the company as well as a whole range of good-looking footware for both men and women.
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