Fashion Tips from a Preschooler: Salt-Water Sandals

While teaching preschool in Massachusetts, I began to master the teacher dress code: comfortable yet professional. This usually included loose fitting pants, lots of cotton shirts and blouses, and basically anything that I didn't mind getting paint or dirt on. I always had trouble with shoes, especially during the summer, though.

I was inspired by one of my own students who wore cute, colorful sandals that seemed to keep their shape and vibrance despite all of the running around she did. It was then that I learned about Salt-Water Sandals (cue: angelic singing).

Salt-Water Sandals are inexpensive, bright, virtually indestructible footwear with a great history. They were originally created for children during the Second World War from scraps leftover from military boots. There wasn't enough leather to make the sandals kids had been wearing prior to the war, so a simple pattern was created from the boot leftovers. The company has remained family owned since 1944, making virtually the same product for almost 70 years.

Over the years, these shoes have gained popularity among both kids and women. One of my co-workers recently told me that they were my hipster mom shoes. I took that as a compliment.

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