Flip Flops

Those early zoris where really something. My first pair cost me fifty cents and were made of thick woven straw, with velvet thongs that left an indelible purple 'V' on the top of each foot. The idiosyncrasies didn't stop there. Walk along the beach and the backs would flick sand onto the back of your legs and up into your shorts. Wear them in the rain and they'd fall apart, leaving you wondering what to do next. You could even treat them with the kind of care and respect usually reserved for a new, unwaxed board and they'd still fall apart after the first few weeks. But just as new boards aren't designed for rocks, the original zori was not designed for concrete.

Zoris competed for popularity with other surfing footwear in those days. There was nothing like sporting a pair of blue canvas Topsiders and white socks with your levis, white Penny's T-shirt and a Pendleton to a South Bay party or the latest surf movie. And no one with serious surfing bumps would be reckless enough to stand in the way of someone stomping past in a pair of two-ton, dollar-fifty huraches. Nevertheless, the humble zori had what it takes to survive surfing's fickle fads, and, after all these years, I'm wearing a pair of the modern variety right at this very moment.

Part of the reason for this remarkable staying power is that zoris, or flip-flops, have continued to be improved over the years. The first improvement was a thin layer of rubber glued to the bottom of the woven straw. This modest advance helped make your zoris last a bit longer, but the sole would soon part company with the straw and the zoris still disintegrated when they got wet. In the meantime, you'd stumble around from place to place with madly flapping soles that, in desperation, you'd end up ripping off like a Band-Aid after a shower.

Then came the all-rubber zoris known as 'Jap-flaps', an offensive term that referred to the country of the zoris' origin and manufacture. These new rubber models were a vast improvement because they were waterproof and didn't fall apart quite so easily. Unfortunately, the straps tended to pop out of the bottoms or snap at the worst possible moment, and Southern California was littered with discards. But if you held on to the surviving zori you could usually find a suitable mate. Which might explain why so many surfers were seen walking around in unmatched pairs making 'flip-flop' sounds wherever they went.

The next major development occurred when the rubber flip-flop was manufactured with additional layers that increased the sole's thickness. This was a great advantage in places like Maui where the dreaded kiawi tree thorn could easily penetrate an ordinary flipflop and ruthlessly puncture the vulnerable underside of a surfer's foot with a certain spitefulness.

In an attempt to outshine the competition, some manufacturer's got carried away and produced models that were more than an inch thick, and unkindly referred to as 'foot-barges'. Alas, even though short surfers liked the extra height and could finally look Hugh Foster in the bellybutton, the straps still popped out or snapped without warning.

A GREAT LEAP FOR FOOT-KIND

At last there was a huge, evolutionary, leap that led to the development of today's growing variety of surfing footwear. But not everyone recognized the significance of this innovative technology at the time. "The first urethane sole/nylon web strap sandal was by a guy named Beach Comber Bill, who came into my office at Surfer to show me his prototype back in 1972 or so," admits former Surfer Magazine editor, Steve Pezman. ""Ugg" said I, laying waste to two great ideas in one breath."

It's not clear what the publisher of The Surfer's Journal would have said about Ugg Boots, but a hard wearing urethane sole combined with a nearly indestructible nylon web strap catapulted the manufacture and marketing of the humble flipflop into to major worldwide industry.

It was also a highly competitive industry and this, in turn, led to further improvements that not only made flipflops more durable, but far more comfortable, safe and stylish. I can remember being thrown out of Zucky's restaurant in Santa Monica in the early sixties for wearing zoris. If Zucky's still exists - and I sincerely hope it does because it had the best potato salad and kosher dill pickles west of Cantor's - then I doubt the owner would still deny me service if I was sporting the rather elegant leather Rainbow's given to me by my old friend, Bob Beadle.

These days, surfers and other outdoor activists can choose from a myriad of well made footwear designed for a variety of uses, from all-weather, all-terrain sports models with foot and ankle straps, to the chic, gilded & jeweled thongs worn by the rich and famous. Many thongs have even incorporated proper arch support and a cushioned sole that finally makes walking even more of a pleasure than the original straw and velvet editions.

Which is what footwear should be all about. Comfort. And now, in my sixtieth year, everything I put on my gnarly, scared old feet not only has to look good and serve a purpose, but - first and foremost - it has to feel good in the bargain.

Speaking of thongs I have a question.

When is the 'Reef Girl' going to face the camera?