AnOther Loves: A Storied Slip-on

The clog is a shoe with as much practical history as fairytale lore. These ones from the Chloé Autumn/Winter 2026 collection only continue that legacy

One doesn’t look at a clog and think of it as a practical shoe per se. And yet that’s its origin story: dating back to the Middle Ages, clogs were carved from a single block of wood for farmers and fishermen, miners and factory workers. Adopted and renamed across Europe – le sabot by the French and Belgians, lo zoccolo by the Italians, the clog by the Brits – it’s a famously Dutch shoe, de klomp. In Holland, clog dancing is something of a named tradition, klompendansen. The shoe makes its cameo in fairytales, too. European folkloric tales collected by the Brothers Grimm; in Carlo Collodi’s 1881 serialised novel, Pinocchio, the titular fibber wears shoes made of tree bark. Then there’s Hans Christian Andersen’s The Red Shoes – the clog precedes those fateful red slippers. Granted, those were a symbol of the protagonist’s lowly status betoken to her subsequent transformation. Less humble but fairytale-fitting, this Chloé pair epitomises the boho charm of Chemena Kamali’s world. Knocked up a few inches, with an almond-shaped toe and in black leather bedazzled with floral metal studs, these clogs from the Autumn/Winter 2026 collection conjure the blossoming prairies of stories old. Sure, you might not wear them for fishing, but, sturdy, easy to slip on with plenty of wiggle room for a thick seasonal sock, they’re perfect for a little klompendansen. So there, the clog – both practical and magical.

The Chloé Talis studded leather clog is available to buy now