So long, summer. The time has come to stash away the swimsuits, shake the sand from the beach towels, and shove the short sleeves and sundresses to the back racks once again. Those flip-flops that ferried you from farmers’ market to front porch, from beach to backyard barbecue? The ones with the paper-thin soles and the toggling center toe post? Those, I’m afraid, must be tossed.
But what’s left to fill in for the flip-flop, to steal its spot at the mudroom door? What do you slip into when there are dogs to be walked, gardens to be watered, mailboxes to be checked at the end of long, dirt roads? Where do you turn for a shoulder-season shoe when it’s too frosty for flip-flops, but too warm for boots?
Reader, you turn to the clog.
Not just any clog. According to Vineyard clog connoisseurs – oh yes, they may have waned elsewhere, but there’s a veritable Dutch army of fans on-Island – Dansko clogs, originally imported from Denmark, are the cream of the comfort crop. From the newsroom to the classroom, along hospital halls and behind the kitchen pass, Danskos are, without hesitation, the Island’s clog of choice.
Traditionally made entirely of wood and dating back at least to the thirteenth century, contemporary clogs are more likely to be made of some combination of leather and synthetic materials, with a rounded, closed toe, enclosed heel, and “rocker bottom” outsoles.
It was this unique sole support that captivated Amanda Cabot and her husband Peter Kjellerup, Dansko founders, while on a trip to Denmark in the late 1980s. As horse trainers and dressage instructors, they had been searching for sturdy shoes, easy to slip on and off, with great support. The hunt was over when they stumbled upon this updated clog with flexible, polyurethane outsoles that provided more stability and shock absorbency than their traditional wooden forbears.
According to Dansko legend, Cabot and Kjellerup were so taken by their Danish dream shoes that they began bringing back pairs for friends, ultimately importing the clogs directly and starting a business of their own. More than twenty years later, they’ve built a popular brand that has grown to include a variety of styles and, at least in certain parts of the country, reinvented what was once thought of as a shoe worn only by laborers, dancers, or Scandinavian folklore enthusiasts.
With many styles awarded the highly coveted American Podiatric Medical Association’s “Seal of Approval,” it’s no wonder that Danskos have earned a cult-like following among teachers, nurses, chefs, and others on their feet for long stretches. But for true Dansko devotees, it’s not all about comfort and practicality.
Jane McTeigue, Vineyard Gazette production manager, graphic designer, and Dansko clog collector, insists that it’s the variety of patterns and styles that has won her, heart and soles. A few of her current favorites are the “yellow pythons,” “red patent leathers,” and “this really awesome pair with sparkly red and orange stripes,” which she mostly keeps hidden in her closet so as not to wear them out. “Every time I wear them somebody says, ‘I wish I could wear shoes like that.’ And I say, ‘You can!’”
There are, of course, other clogs. Sanitas, which are nearly identical to Danskos, were the original Danish shoe that Dansko founders modified slightly before importing to the states. A few years back, Sanita made a move into the U.S. market, stirring up all manner of clog controversy. Whose clog is most classic? In clog corners of the internet, the debate rages on.
Vineyard resident and longtime Dansko-lover Wendy Whipple says that in all of her years wearing clogs, only one other brand has come close. Once, while traveling, she switched to the Patagonia Better Clog, which was lighter and “not as clunky.” But they have been discontinued, and, as far as Whipple is concerned, “anybody else who has tried to copy Danskos has failed.”
Whipple’s Dansko devotion runs so deep that it saw her through a number of clog-related injuries. Once, while walking over a stone path, she turned her ankle and twisted it. (Due to the clog’s roomy interior and platform height, this is a common complaint.) After surgery for a broken metatarsus, Wendy asked her orthopedist what he recommended she wear on her feet during recovery. His answer?
The Dansko clog.
FIND THEM AROUND TOWN
For the classic Dansko Professional clog in various colors ($119.95), head to Basics in Oak Bluffs. The Green Room, in Vineyard Haven, has both the Professional and Dansko’s updated XP style, with a footbed that forms to your shape ($140). Down the street at Brickman’s, where they carried the “original” Dansko years before the latest clog craze, it’s now Sanita all the way ($124.95). Stop in for a test walk and see the difference.
