First, there were love-them-or-loathe-them Crocs. Now the latest funky footwear is 'naked' sandals.
These are thin-soled, bendy slippers designed to help people walk as close to being barefoot as possible, the way nature intended.
British slipper Dopie does away with a thong between the tootsies. Instead, its sole folds between them in a rubber wedge.
Another of the Happy Feet brigade is Sanuk from the United States. It looks like a regular shoe but has an ultra-supple upper.
Then there is the Nike Free - an ultra-flexible range of training shoes intended to 'train' the feet to use the muscles of barefoot walking.
Movie stars have helped up the cool factor of wearing such cult shoes - Brad Pitt has been snapped in Sanuks, for example.
In Singapore, barely-there footwear is racing out of the shops.
Tangs department store says sales of Sanuks are up by 40 per cent since it first offered them last May. Sales of Dopie are up by 70 per cent compared to when they kicked off last November. Sanuk retails for $98 a pair and Dopie for $59.90.
Tangs' merchandising executive Lynette Chiam says: 'They have been popular with all age groups seeking comfort without compromising on style.'
Nike declined to cite figures but said sales have been positive. The SP09 Free Everyday+ (right) is available for $169 here.
Style director Karen Ng, 28, likes the grey Sanuks which she has had for six months: 'They're very light, comfortable and easy to wash. It's half-slipper, half-shoe so if you fold the back down, it's a slip-on and if you put it up, it's a shoe.'
The Sanuk, invented by California surfer Jeff Kelley, is basically the soft foamy sole of a flip-flop with the cloth upper cover of a shoe.
He tells LifeStyle in an e-mail: 'This allows the foot to bend and flex the way nature intended. Walking this way helps to strengthen the foot, improve balance and performance, and also helps to strengthen the muscles that support the arch.'
As for the Dopie, it is a sole with a slight arch in the middle and a groove with a wedge where the big and second toes fit. It is meant to mould to the foot, straighten out toes and prevent bunions, while being light and flexible.
Sports shoe giant Nike says research shows that training barefoot strengthens muscles and lessens injuries. Its range of Nike Free shoes, with a lowered midsole and deeper grooves in the sole, helps simulate this action.
A Nike Singapore product specialist emphasises they are meant purely for training purposes and are not running shoes.
Foot doctors, however, are uncertain about the benefits of going barefoot over wearing shoes with support.
Mr Adriaan Erasmus, principal podiatrist at the National University Hospital's (NUH) Rehabilitation Department, says: 'A person with a very high foot arch tends to have a stiff foot and may require softer shoes that can provide more cushioning.
'A flat foot may be more mobile and require stiffer shoes to provide more support.'
Ms Kin Ismail, senior podiatrist at the Singapore Footcare Centre of the National Healthcare Group, says two studies give contrasting results.
The first, done in South Africa between urban shod populations and those going barefoot, showed the latter had fewer cases of problems with their foot bones.
However, a German study indicated that inadequate footwear in childhood could lead to more cases of flat feet and bunions.
Of the Nike Free, Ms Kin says: 'The barefoot-running trend in sports has been around for a long time. It realises the strength of intrinsic foot muscles to boost performance.
'However, this sporting aid is aimed at the training of professional athletes, rather than participation. Conventional running shoes are built to absorb large ground force reactions when running on hard surfaces such as concrete.'
On Sanuk and Dopie, NUH's Mr Erasmus says: 'Soft and flexible shoes may not suit all foot types. A person with flat feet may find they get tired wearing soft shoes for long periods.'
Feet-friendly?
LifeStyle puts our best foot forward and road-tests the Dopie and Sanuk for a day
Dopie (top picture)
Eco-friendly they may be - the slippers are made of recycled material - but they are not that user-friendly.
People gawp at what they see as a guy with a weird rubber wedge between his big and second toes. This toe holder was the only control I had over the slipper, which felt like it was hanging loosely from my toes.
Annoyingly, the slippers kept slipping sideways and it was hard to keep my feet from making loud slapping noises.
I definitely do not want to run on uneven terrain in them but I did walk around the office and drive wearing them.
Thankfully, a removable strap is attached for beginners. That at least makes the slippers look more normal and gives me better control.
One thing I could not escape was the pain the wedge caused between my toes after walking around for just 10 minutes.
The over-the-top colours - from eye-catching yellow to rosy pink - did not appeal to me either.
But if you want something quirky and unusual, this is it.
Sanuk
Imagine the comfort and lightness of wearing a pair of beach slippers, but with a more presentable covered-shoe appearance.
Why hasn't anyone thought of this sooner?
It is essentially a slipper sole with the fabric cover of shoes.
There are no nails and no inflexible board-bases, so it is completely bendable and soft to wear. This meant my feet felt light and comfortable.
In fact, I could not help feeling a tinge of guilt wearing them around the office. While everyone was clomping around in shoes, I felt like I was floating about in slippers.
Thankfully, the shoes do not look much different from normal ones.
They sure were a relief from the heavier and chunkier sneakers or rubber-soled shoes that I usually wear to work.
There was no discomfort or pain at the end of the day, although the shoe could get a bit slippery on wet and smooth surfaces, just like most beach slippers.
This article was first published in The Sunday Times.
