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#ThrowbackThursday #tbt: Jelly Slippers

February 6, 2014 By Lena

In 2014, I will be participating in #tbt courtesy of the Epson Expression Premium XP-810 Small–in–One printer, the ultimate choice for scanning and printing. Ultra powerful and ultra slim, it produces stunning borderless photos and documents quickly and affordably. Featuring the ultimate in wireless printing, the XP-810 makes it easier than ever to print from your iPad, iPhone, tablet or smartphone, whether in your home or out and about.

I had my heart set on iridescent pink jelly slippers.

All my little girlfriends had a set of either pink or clear slippers, and they were just. so. cool. Debuting in stores just in time for the summer holidays, the flexible shoes were the most über-cool trend since jelly bracelets. And I had a lot of jelly bracelets.

We pulled up to Sears and I jumped out of the car, willing my parents to pick up their pace. I had jelly slippers to pick out! And as we approached the shoe department, I saw them – clear jelly slippers with just a subtle hint of pinky-purple. It was Cinderella-meets-JEM, and I was in heaven.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw them. RED! Red jelly slippers! Never had I seen such a bold colour emblazoned so ruthlessly on the squishy shoes. I would officially be the only girl on the block to sport the daring new hue. Could I pull it off? Should I be a fashion trailblazer? Heck yeah.

And so, one summer day in 1986, already tanned from endless hours spent outdoors sans sun protection, I posed in front of our mustard-coloured fridge – in our kitchen with groovy ceramic tiles – and made fashion history: the first girl in my neighbourhood to wear solid-hued jelly slippers.

Paging Anna Wintour.

Filed Under: Fashion Tagged With: #tbt, #throwbackthursday, Epson Expression Premium XP-810 Small–in–One

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chandra Christine O'Connor

    February 6, 2014 at 8:26 am

    oh my gosh I had every colour possible I lwas crazy for them

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 10:10 am

      Lucky you! What colours did you own? I’m curious!!

  2. Darlene Schuller

    February 6, 2014 at 8:47 am

    lol I remember these, I loved mine! I had a few pairs but wore the clear ones all the time!

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 10:10 am

      I sometimes regret not getting the clear ones, because they were the most popular of the lot. Still, standing by my choice to go red!

  3. Victoria

    February 6, 2014 at 9:18 am

    the “Lena Pose”…35 years and counting :)

    LOOOVVEEEED jellies…got a new pair every summer when I went to Florida…now as an adult, I feel like they would give me the worst blisters… :(

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 10:11 am

      Hahaha yes I suppose I do have a pose! And yeah, don’t think you could pay me to wear jelly shoes now.

  4. nicolthepickle

    February 6, 2014 at 9:50 am

    I am so not old enough for these. And what Victoria said ^— You do have a Lena pose.

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 10:11 am

      What? Scandalous!! Though they were only popular for a few years, so I can see how the trend would have missed the young’uns, LOL!

  5. jan

    February 6, 2014 at 12:55 pm

    they’re back?! those were the sweatiest monsters ever!

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 10:12 am

      LOL nope, I don’t think they’re back. But they were very popular back in the day!

  6. Judy C (Judy Cowan)

    February 6, 2014 at 1:18 pm

    Oh I remember these shoes and the bracelets!!! If I remember correctly the shoes I had were pink.

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 11:35 am

      Nice! One of the best shades for jelly slippers!

  7. Flora M

    February 6, 2014 at 2:17 pm

    Jelly slippers !!! How well I remember them, and how badly they made my feet perspire !! LOL I couldn’t wear them – but my daughter had a pair (or two). I think you can still buy them too !
    Can’t wait for your next TBT !!! :)

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 11:37 am

      I love that both you and your daughter rocked jelly slippers!

  8. loriag

    February 6, 2014 at 3:12 pm

    Didn’t they make you feel amazing! What a pair of red jelly shoes can do!

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 11:37 am

      Yes! Yes they did! Probably one of my favourite fashion purchases from the 80’s!

  9. angie smith

    February 6, 2014 at 3:25 pm

    ahhh i loved the jelly shoes so much! i opted for glittery pink lol

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 11:38 am

      Ah, see… I sometimes wonder if my life would have been different had I opted for the glittery pink, LOL

  10. mrdisco

    February 6, 2014 at 4:19 pm

    hooray for jelly slippers!

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 11:38 am

      Hooray!

  11. Susan T.

    February 6, 2014 at 7:06 pm

    I loved these too! I had the sparkly pink ones. They gave me horrible blisters but I wore them anyway!

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 11:38 am

      I’m pretty sure I got a nasty blister or two, but just didn’t care!

  12. Victoria Ess

    February 6, 2014 at 9:47 pm

    You are too cute! This post was like 110% throwback for me — jelly slippers, Jem, jelly bracelets…

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 11:39 am

      Yup, all the good things! Hahaha

  13. Ella Pretty Blog

    February 6, 2014 at 11:03 pm

    Colorblocking pink and red…matching shorts & shoes…early indications of a confident fashionista ;-)

    In 1986 my sister and I were still wearing matching floral dresses and pigtails…very NOT cool I promise you, LOL!

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 11:52 am

      LOL I picked up on the pink and red too… fashion forward indeed! But don’t worry, I had many floral dresses and pigtail days too!

  14. Heidi C.

    February 7, 2014 at 12:16 am

    I wanted jelly slippers so much but my mom wouldn’t buy them as they weren’t “durable” school shoes. Sigh.

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 11:53 am

      Sigh! Don’t worry, my mom shut down a lot of non-essential purchases too :)

  15. Nicole W.

    February 7, 2014 at 2:06 am

    Looking sharp! ;)

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 11:53 am

      Thanks Nicole!

  16. Marissa

    February 7, 2014 at 7:46 am

    Wow! I love that awesome “Lena pose” and style.

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 11:54 am

      Hahaha thanks Marissa! I guess I do have my own signature pose, LOL!

  17. Nicky

    February 8, 2014 at 10:12 am

    ah yes! i used to have jelly shoes – fun!

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 11:54 am

      Hope you have great memories too!

  18. Melinda L.

    February 8, 2014 at 7:41 pm

    Awesome jelly shoes! I remember when platform shoes were the big thing…sadly I jumped into it too late.

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 11:55 am

      I don’t think I ever fully embraced the platform trend either :)

  19. Stephanie LaPlante

    February 9, 2014 at 5:02 pm

    I’ve never seen a refrigerator that color before. I love it.

    P.S. You looked adorable in those jelly slippers. I had a pair once upon a time too.

    • Lena

      February 9, 2014 at 5:55 pm

      Hahaha I think it was purchased in the 70’s. Mustard was all the rage, didn’t you know? :)

  20. Tara Gauthier

    February 10, 2014 at 12:46 pm

    I loved my jelly slippers. I had clear with the sparkles in them and they were the best {at least back then, now I would not want a pair, but back then they were so “cool”}. We had a fridge that colour in the rental suite we lived in about 15 years ago.

    • Lena

      February 10, 2014 at 5:12 pm

      So they DID make more than one mustard fridge, LOL!

  21. Cici G-H

    February 11, 2014 at 8:41 pm

    I love this post! I used to love jelly shoes as a kid. I found a pair of jelly sandals at Zellers before they closed up a few years ago for $2. But I love those ruby red ones you wore so well back in the day :)

    • Lena

      February 15, 2014 at 4:03 pm

      Wow, can’t believe you still found them somewhat recently! Crazy!

  22. Lynda Cook

    February 12, 2014 at 11:51 am

    LOL I remember those I had a pair too, I think everyone had them and now I wouldn’t be caught dead in them lol

    • Lena

      February 15, 2014 at 4:03 pm

      LOL I think we’d all complain about wearing them now!!

  23. francine

    February 12, 2014 at 1:13 pm

    I never had any. but I wouldn’t have worn them anyway. I only wore boots or sneakers.

    • Lena

      February 15, 2014 at 4:04 pm

      You rebel!! LOL

  24. jaimeem

    February 13, 2014 at 12:52 pm

    Haha, omg you were such a cute child! Those shoes dont look too bad, i like the color!

    • Lena

      February 15, 2014 at 4:04 pm

      I liked them too! Wish I kept them LOL

  25. Jasmin Shirazi

    February 15, 2014 at 2:04 pm

    I still have a pair of BCBG jelly sandals. I hardly ever wore them because they dug into my feet and really hurt after awhile. I think I still keep them for nostalgia sake. =\

    • Lena

      February 15, 2014 at 4:04 pm

      Um, wow – BCBG jelly sandals?? LOVE it!

  26. Guppy5700

    February 15, 2014 at 4:19 pm

    Aww you’re so cute! I never wore jelly shoes – like I’d never wear those plastic croc sandals either lol! But my daughter had a multi-coloured pair of Jellies when she was 5.
    Now we DID have a similar Harvest Gold fridge! ;D

    • Lena

      February 15, 2014 at 7:34 pm

      Ah, Harvest Gold!! Sounds so much better than mustard, LOL!

  27. Suzie M

    February 25, 2014 at 7:04 pm

    Didn’t everyone used to have jelly shoes oh the trends !!

  28. Bcteagirl

    February 28, 2014 at 4:18 pm

    Jeeeellly shoes! I would love to be able to still wear these!

  29. BobbiJo Pentney

    March 24, 2014 at 11:23 pm

    I totally forgot about these shoes. Wow

  30. Emilia

    January 9, 2015 at 6:32 pm

    1986 I think the Jelly slippers were the best thing in fashion that year.

  31. kathy downey

    June 17, 2016 at 11:49 am

    haha i remember those sweaty jellies,they were the craze back then all my friends all wore then

  32. kathy downey

    August 22, 2017 at 12:43 pm

    I wonder can you buy something similar like those today!

  33. Debbie White Beattie

    September 18, 2017 at 10:43 pm

    I had a couple of pairs, I remember the blisters and the the pieces breaking. Oh how we never learn because we still suffer for fashion

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Lena Almeida

Toronto Blogger, Social Media Strategist for Listen to Lena Inc. Television & Radio Personality, Columnist and Speaker. Family Travel Expert. Star Wars Fanatic. Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion. Read More…

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