Whether your stomping grounds were the school hallways, the playground, or the mall, your shoe choices in the ‘90s were always super important. Were you the kid with the knockoff light up shoes that never worked? The goth kid who had a million buckles on their black boots? The boho type who thought socks in Birkenstocks was totally fine and cool?
No matter who you were, there was a shoe to represent your style and personality. So let’s take a look back at some of the most memorable ’90s shoes that you know you had at least one of in your closet.
What about the rest of ’90s fashion? Don’t worry, there’s a post for that: 15 Hella Fly ’90s Fashion Trends
Doc Martens
Ah yes, Doc Martens. You were both cool, fashionable, and kinda edgy if you were rocking some Doc Marten boots. And you likely had a pair of the sandals as well (they were so comfy). The rare shoe that crossed gender lines, Doc Martens are making a popularity comeback today as well.
Mary Janes
Doc Marten also had a version of Mary Janes in the ‘90s, but even if a girl didn’t have the Doc Marten variety, she probably had some kind of MJ kicking around, especially if she was of the preppy variety.
Jelly Shoes
Were jelly shoes comfortable? Heck no. Were they cute? Heck yes. Every girl wanted to have some kind of jelly shoe, no matter if they cut up her feet and stank like no other.
LA Gear LA Lights
In the ‘90s LA Lights were totally a necessity, especially if you were a boy. Running around, seeing your heel light up with every step, was one of the coolest inventions of the time, honestly.
Jack Purcell / Chuck Taylor
These two shoes are really of the same family, though probably you only had one or the other. Jack Purcells were for the more preppy kids who wanted just a classic white shoe that still looked cool, while Chuck Taylors were a little edgier with their high-tops and wider variety of colors. Both are Converse shoes, though, so they’re just two sides of the same coin.
Platform Shoes
Chunky, tall, platform shoes were such a thing, though honestly they definitely seemed to be more of a thing with celebrities than your average person. Like, the Spice Girls were all about the platform shoe (that’s their feet in the photo above).
Steve Madden Slip Ons
Go to a junior high dance in the ‘90s, and you for sure saw a bunch of girls rocking these Steve Madden slip ons, or at least some variation of them. All the better to show off some sparkly glitter toenail polish, you know?
Birkenstocks
If you were more of the hippie or Bohemian type, or, let’s face it, a pothead, then Birkenstocks were definitely more your jam. Though can we discuss wearing them with socks? What is that about? They’re a sandal, come on now.
Goth Boots
If your high school didn’t have a small group of goth kids, was it even a real high school? Aside from the dramatic makeup, hair, and dark clothes, kids of the goth persuasion also needed some tall, dark, buckle-full, chunky boots to round out the ensemble.
Adidas Slides
Oh yes, you know you remember the Adidas slides. They always looked as though they might hurt your feet, but everyone had a pair of these for hitting up the aquatic center or outdoor public swimming pool.
Chunky Platform Loafers / Knee-High Boots
Technically these are two different shoes, and maybe you had both, but you probably at least had one or the other. Rachel Green rocked both of these styles on Friends, and everyone wanted to be Rachel in the ‘90s.
Strappy Heels
If you weren’t wearing some kind of platform situation to prom, then you probably had a slinky, strappy, short heel to go with your dress.
Reebok Pumps
So advanced, Reeboks Pumps were. They were the first sneaker with an inflation system that you could adjust to your foot to lock around your ankle. Did anyone use the pumps for their intended purpose, or just to feel cool?
Clogs
A cousin to the slip on was the clog, which kinda took the Steven Madden-type slip on a step further by covering up the toes, though the bottoms were often made of wood. These were often clunky, sometimes cute, sometimes not.
Shiny Brogues
If you rocked these shiny brogues with some tights, a mini dress, and a turtle neck, and your hair half-pulled up, then you were totally stylin’ in the ‘90s.
Keds
Tied up or with the laces pulled out, everyone had at least one pair of Keds, if not more, particularly in the early ‘90s before Jack Purcell and Converse started to take over.
What shoes were your favorites in the ’90s? Let us know in the comments!
- Doc Martens creator Klaus Martens was a doctor in the German army in World War II, and was inspired to create the shoe after injuring his ankle while skiing in the Bavarian Alps, and his standard-issue army boots weren’t supportive enough for his injured foot. He decided to create a boot with improvements, and thus the brand was born.
- Keds have been around since 1916, and their first shoe design, the Champion, was the first mass-marketed canvas-top sneaker, and actually inspired the word “sneaker” as the rubber soles allowed sneaking around quietly.
- Birkenstocks have been around in some form since 1774 (!), and were founded in Germany with the purpose to create shoes that support and contour the foot. They didn’t make it to America until 1966 and were originally sold in health stores.
- LA Gear first introduced their LA Lights shoes in 1992, and sold over 5 million LA Lights shoes per year in the ‘90s. The shoes have also been used as survival gear for kids lost in blizzards, and lead to increased demand prior to storms.
- Canadian world-champion badminton player Jack Purcell designed the shoes that would be named after him in 1935, and for most of the 20th century, the shoes were required wear on all grass and clay tennis courts in the United States due to their flat bottom soles.
- Doc Martens creator Klaus Martens was a doctor in the German army in World War II, and was inspired to create the shoe after injuring his ankle while skiing in the Bavarian Alps, and his standard-issue army boots weren’t supportive enough for his injured foot. He decided to create a boot with improvements, and thus the brand was born.
- Keds have been around since 1916, and their first shoe design, the Champion, was the first mass-marketed canvas-top sneaker, and actually inspired the word “sneaker” as the rubber soles allowed sneaking around quietly.
- Birkenstocks have been around in some form since 1774 (!), and were founded in Germany with the purpose to create shoes that support and contour the foot. They didn’t make it to America until 1966 and were originally sold in health stores.
- LA Gear first introduced their LA Lights shoes in 1992, and sold over 5 million LA Lights shoes per year in the ‘90s. The shoes have also been used as survival gear for kids lost in blizzards, and lead to increased demand prior to storms.
- Canadian world-champion badminton player Jack Purcell designed the shoes that would be named after him in 1935, and for most of the 20th century, the shoes were required wear on all grass and clay tennis courts in the United States due to their flat bottom soles.
