Birkenstocks are back. The last time they were really popular was in 1993 and I was in high school. There was a girl in school who wore it everyday with her denim shorts and Baja poncho. She had big, curly hair, was almost 6' tall and lanky. She owned that hippie aesthetic even though she was from an upper middle class family.

This time around, though, they're not on the feet of hippies or wannahippies. They were seen on at least 4 runways in New York Fashion Week SS14 as reported by Fashionista.com. Vogue people admitted to wearing them in this article. Refinery29 even challenged their tastemakers to style them. Birkenstocks are being worn by many heavy fashion people, the harbingers of retail, so it's only a matter of time before these comeback kicks are on everyone's feet again. J. Crew has an upcoming collaboration with Birkenstock that splashes truth to this theory. They may seem harmless but, because they make your feet look extra flat and extra wide, Birks can also make the rest of you look flat and wide by osmosis. They can look good only on very long legs and/or very skinny legs. Nevertheless, the look of comfort is so seductive that it may not matter.

Thoughts?

Runway photos: Fashionista

Left: Birks in the Houghton fashion show. Photo: the Wild. Center: Birks on a celeb. Photo: Pinterest. Right: Birks on a fashion blogger. Photo: The Man Repeller.

Even the men's fashion shows had them. Photos: Esquire Magazine.