Plimsoll Crazy UK
It seems there’s a new craze in shoe wear right now in England, DA DA DAAAA, the humble black plimsoll. Yes, those insignificant and ultra cheap rubber shoes that were the blight of some of our childhoods are supposedly the new fashion accessories for this winter. They’ve come and gone through the generations, being feted by one, ridiculed by the next, but it now looks like they are back for another shot at being a fashion icon into a new century.
As normal in these situations, the fashion for wearing a particular item that has formerly been seen as nerdy or uncool, starts with celebrities and then works its way downwards to us mere mortals. And this latest trend is no exception, with David Beckham seemingly to blame for the new craze on this occasion. He was there at TomKat’s wedding, last weekend, and what was he pictured in as he arrived? Yes, that 70’s classic, the humble black plimsoll. Now, Becks’ pair probably cost a small fortune, the GDP of 2 small African countries. Not for him the cheap mass-produced rubber plimsoll, but that’s exactly what this phenomenon comprises of. Who would have thought a nasty moulded shoe would become a fashion accessory to be seen in? The good news is it makes this one craze all of us can afford, even the paupers who know the closest we’d get to Tom Cruise’s scientology nuptials is sitting at home, watching the TV. Whether we want to buy into this trend, however cheap it may be is another matter. David Beckham was partially responsible for the short-lived sarong (or men wearing dresses) fashion craze a few years back too.
The man has a lot to answer for, and we’re allegedly giving him a knighthood!
I for one can’t get the image of me in the early Eighties doing Physical Education in a similar pair out of my head, so maybe I’ll give this one a miss. Meaning you should fully expect to see a picture of me on this blog in 6 months time, having succumbed to the pressure. If it’s good enough for Becks, it’s good enough for me, and that’s a motto to live by 
Black, Plimsolls, David Beckham, UK, TomKat Wedding
November 27th, 2006 at 4:19 pm
[...] I read the blog of a colleague today, and it was all about Black Plimsolls being all the rage in the UK. Check out the story on Pup Buzz UK. Well, I thought I knew everything there was to know about shoes. NOT! I had to check out Wikipedia to found out what a bloody Plimsoll was. Apparently David Beckham (that gorgeous soccer guy) sports these shoes like there isn’t another shoe on the planet. [...]
November 28th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Well…converse trainers seem quite popular in the Doctor Who universe…
December 15th, 2006 at 5:46 pm
Plimsolls are awesome, I personally do hope that they hang around for a while and not simply get consumed in the trend and forgotten about.
I have a pair of white lace ups with toe caps that i got from http://www.whiteplimsolls.com and they are SO comfy.
You shouldn’t give this a miss at all!
El
December 27th, 2006 at 11:49 am
[...] I recently reported about a Japanese clothing company opening a new store in New York City. Uniqlo, known as the Gap of Japan, is known for it’s almost anti-designer, generic look. It was arguable whether their design sensibilities, as well as their commodtity-priced clothing, would go over in the U.S. Dave, over at Pop Buzz UK had a story not long ago about the trend toward the very “unfashionable” Plimsolls, cheap rubber soled shoes that are being snapped up by very fashionable celebs like David Beckham. [...]
April 12th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Plimsolls have been around for ages - before trainers were invented in the early 70s, they were a mainstream leisure shoe for children and adults (the latter for men mainly on holiday at the seaside). If anyone wants to know more, they should look through the various Plimsoll groups at Yahoo and see which one suits them best.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I have been wearing these shoes on and off for as long as i can remember, I can’t wear them at work but wear them as much as possible, in this genre I do include the converse allstar too as it ultimately is a rich mans plimsoll, although somewhat snobbishly called a trainer, when it is the same construction as a plimsoll.
Other places to buy them include the costume store in brighton.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:03 am
Totally agree - plimsolls will be around forever for the truly stylish as understatedly cool….have just set up a little site selling my personal faves…let me know what you plimsoll lovers think? Will even dish out a few to road test for me.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:04 am
http://www.iloveplimsolls.com/
Sorry new to this….find site above and all feedback is very welcome!