(Nearly) barefootin'

It's flops season again, even in the office, if you work in the lower echelons of magazine publishing.

When I had my first NYC publishing job in '98, I remember being mildly scandalized when a new young coworker fella rolled in wearing flip flops one day. Of course, this was during my phase of coming in decked out in dresses from the '40s and '50s, seamed stockings, and heels, and scorning most modern ultra-caszh styles. It was also a few years before that one summer ('01? '02?) when the flip flop floodgates opened and summertime office footwear forever changed, allowing the least formal footwear possible without workers actually being barefoot.

Although I love being able to free-foot it all the hot summer long (pictured here are Havaianas, my favorite super cushy and comft Brazilian flips brand), it's still a bit ponderous to me that this is allowed. This phenom is one of those cultural milestones, like starlets casually flashing their reproductive organs and the Jackass guys being insane jackasses, that makes me wonder what can be done next to top it. Like, will bikini tops and thongs become acceptable office wear? It's nice to know, though, that even after working in the (at times) locker-room atmospheres of BUST and the porn office, I can still be a bit shocked.