When I was 10 I asked for my first pair of jelly shoes. They possessed three very key elements: they looked like candy, had speckled glitter inside and were impermeable to damage. Once I finally had a pair, I discovered another key detail: all jelly sandals actually smell like bubblegum. This was not a youthful fever dream, you can actually find ‘bubblegum scent’ in the product description of any pair online. In conclusion, jelly shoes made my feet feel like magic. My heelys could never.
As I grew older I realized that maybe I should invest in shoes that weren’t made of PVC. But the more shoes I added to my collection, the more I realized perhaps I was wrong. My white sneakers scuff up too easily, my kitten heels give me blisters and my Dr. Martens are starting to get old. Maybe I didn’t need less PVC glitter bubblegum scented shoes in my life, maybe I needed more.
It’s no secret that there is a childlike resurgence happening in fashion right now. Everyone looks like they just got back from hopscotching on the playground, padded headbands, beaded rainbow purses and baby doll dresses in tact. Jelly shoes and sandals have been very slowly making their way back into the (adult) zeitgeist for a couple years now but considering how much everyone is really leaning into nostalgic dressing, 2019 just might be the year they stick. And you don’t have to style them like a kid, either: They were recently spotted on the runway at Simone Rocha, Alexa Chung and Giorgio Armani worn with very grown up dresses and suits. Gucci even has their own $650 pair with sparkling crystals.
The good news is almost all non-bejeweled (and even a pair of sparkly Jeffrey Campbells!) jelly shoes fit into your old piggy bank budget for under $100. I guarantee they all still feel like magic—and smell like bubblegum.
Shop the 14 best jelly shoes and jelly sandals to buy in 2019, below.
