The Boyd Sandals

There was a brief moment in time where I was (I suspect, since the original pair is not known to exist anymore according to the original owner...) the only person in the world to own these shoes:

Photo from 2020, when I made my dreams come true with my own two hands <3

But how did this happen? How did I acquire such a unique and frankly iconic pair of stompers? And why hadn't anyone else made a pair before me?! (*Update...a design house did in fact offer a pair like these about 10 years ago but they were brown suede or black patent, and had a zipper up the back. STILL! This is a new discovery to yours truly and it actually made me kind of happy to see. I'll explain it when you're older. Unhappy that designer gave no credit to the originals though, as far as I can see.) The last question is my most pressing but will likely go unanswered. As for where I got them, well; I made them. They are based on a design that until I inquired, no one knew the creative behind. Indeed the woman who made them famous by wearing them alongside her then-husband George Harrison on their trip to San Francisco during the Summer of Love was the one who came up with the circle gladiator sandal concept, herself! That's right: Pattie Boyd worked with a cobbler to develop what I now lovingly refer to as "The Boyd Sandals".

Outfits and Photo by Karl Ferris. In this lighting the sandals really POP

Pattie wasn't the only one to sport these swinging gladiators. Her sister Jenny wore them in a photo shoot alongside Pattie Boyd Harrison and their outfits from this shoot (styled by photographer Karl Ferris) seems to be the single most popular introduction to folks these days who are just getting interested in the "Mod-eval" fashion revival.

There were a lot of pre- and post-Renaissance references in '60s style, and we are seeing it gain a lot of popularity in the year 2025. Though to be faire (heh), some of us have been proudly portraying this alternative look for many a year! I would love to do a post featuring all of the darling dames, dolls, and dandies around the world who proudly sport this style in a separate blog post... please fill out the form here if you are interested! (scroll past the general form till you see the rainbow collab form below it <3)

In May of 2013 I made my intentions official...

I started thinking about how I was ever to find these shoes, or shoes just similar enough to them that if I wore them in fan spaces like Beatle festivals and such, people would recognize them. For years I scoured the internet, but none of the shoes were ever constructed in the same manner. There was always a bulky heel slip, usually a whole zipper running up the back, way too many straps or not enough; cheap materials...I just kept fighting a losing battle to get anywhere near close enough. So one day I looked at a pair of yellow block heel sandals I had and decided I'd try to construct the proper "cage" for these gladiators with all the tools in my creative box I could muster up.

Not the most comprehensive plan, here. HAH.

It turns out that I was missing a few key skills having still been relatively young in my creative journey, and got so frustrated that I threw my first pair away without even taking any photos of what I had done! I don't throw projects away too often. I hate throwing -anything- away that isn't garbage and that I know will be sitting in a landfill for the rest of my natural life. But in that case, those shoes and I were too close and I had to get rid of them; sit on my ideas for 6-7 more years, and then let my big brain do it's thing. I do have a hastily scrawled note from my sketch book from when I started work on these, which I can date to 2013 based on the notes under it from a show I danced/acted in that very summer ...and a corresponding tweet that exclaiming my determination in this project! Wowee!

Those are the shoes I used as a base! Can you even believe...

I looked over one day at a pair of shoes I had worn once that, although I loved, just didn't fit very well. The straps were too loose on the top of the foot and though the sole was just my size, the rest of the shoe was too big. I didn't want to throw those away so I thought maybe I'd decorate them. But then it hit me. The shoe with the too-big straps were configured just like the base of the Boyd sandals. All I would have to do is start from the bottom, add the first 3 circles per shoe, and then literally work my way up. They were made from a gray faux-suede and as it happened, my parents got rid of part of their old couch before I moved into this house and I made sure to swipe some cusions for my floor. So I already had a bunch of microsuede just waiting to be used for this hero project! See. I Told You I Would Need That Someday™. These shoes weren't just made as accurately as I could muster; they were made entirely out of recycled/repurposed materials, things I already had for other projects, and notions in my supply. The ONLY brand new supply I purchased was Tulip Spray dye in purple.

mid-construction, via my instagram.

Construction of the shoe flew by. I think because I had been pondering the process for SO long that my hands caught up with my brain very quickly. The work involved was really all about fit, how I wanted them to fasten (I didn't like the original buckles!) and making the circles the perfect size. The last bit was very difficult considering all the photos I had used for reference are old, have been degraded by countless reposts, and had me squinting endlessly to take note of every fine detail. But it was a worthwhile endeavor. After all I had been searching for these shoes since the early 2000s. I hinted at what I was doing on social media but sometimes I wish I hadn't. I was so thrilled, I wanted to tell the world! I noted that I hoped my process photos would not be deceminated but alas, they eventually were. But that story is for another day. Just remember to give credit where it is due and treat artists like myself with respect and dignity, that's all.

I think they came out splendidly

I honestly thought that with all the interest in this one-of-a-kind pair of shoes, that I would effectively "break the internet" once I posted photos of the finish product and what I had achieved. Especially as my chronic illness was (and still is, unfortunately) ever-escalating; the Covid pandemic was raging with no vaccines available and I was watching my immunocompromised comrades die...I just really needed a win. But the interest was not as robust as I had hoped. Still, I started right away on another pair! A pair meant to be a pattern/tutorial for others who wished to recreate their own iconic shoes. Those plans were derailed for a lot of reasons that I will get into at a later date; but I'm happy to announce that 5 years later, I am really wrapping up the pattern and it will be for sale as a PDF or hard copy for anyone who wants to put their crafting skills to the test. I explain the process in a way that I think anyone can translate and create versions of this shoe that are tailored to their needs. From a fully functional forever-pair fitted to your EXACT specifications (these shoes will always flop around if your leg and foot isn't present in person for the fittings ok, sorry babes!) or even just a "costume" version for all your groovy photoshoots and bedroom dance parties.

These kicks mean an awful lot to me, clearly. I post about them all the time, and there have been quite a few folks that have been inspired to make their own versions as well. I'm happy to have fueled that inspiration as depressing as it is that many feel it is completely unnecessary to credit the artist who was the first to deconstruct and reverse-engineer these to be as accurate and faithful to Pattie's original design as possible. I think we as a community of vintage fashion queens need to do better about that on the whole. It is a part of our value system, isn't it?

My sis giving the shoes a spin on our birthday!

I have been recreating retro designs since Dollierocker first started so that's 2 decades of experience in not just construction, attention to detail, and upcycling (I always use pre-existing clothes and shoes as I believe it is the most earth conscious thing to do and I fully believe that we need to HALT making new garments until the environment can heal from the ravages of garbage clothes and shoes we've created)...I also have 20 years of experience making sure that I cite every inspiration to the best of my ability and give AMPLE credit where it is due. In this day and age it is easy to forget that just because someone posts something on the internet, does not make it a free-for-all where we ignore who came up with something first. Who put the hours, days, weeks, years- lifetimes into something. I wanted to compose this blog not just to have a long form version of the story of my beloved creation, but to maybe feel a sense of peace over this. The last 5 years of my life have been the worst I've yet experienced. Creating these shoes was one of the brightest spots in the darkest era of me, and despite everything I've been through, I really am so grateful to be sharing my stories with you here. And I'm very excited to present my for-purchase Dollierocker® tribute to The Boyd Sandals so so soon!! Watch this space <3

Thank you, queen ;)

PS: Until I asked, it was a mystery as to who the original designer of the shoes were. I asked my main muse and inspirational guru Marijke Koger of The Fool if they were responsible for the famous gladiators but alas, she said she did not know who made them though The Fool had an english cobbler make other designs for their own line. Once I knew it wasn't The Fool, I only had one other person to ask...Pattie Boyd! And as it happens, she confirmed that it was her idea. I'm not sure if she went to the same cobbler but it is entirely possible. Anyway, having her approval of what I did means more than 100,000 "likes" on instagram ANY day of the week! My forever fashion icon and rock and roll royalty.

Me as The Fool a la The Modern Witch Tarot, one of my fave decks.