From its European roots of being the footwear of choice for the proletariat class, the humble clog has now been elevated to fashion forward status. This may come as a shock to those who associate the word with all-wooden traditional Dutch footwear, or, worse yet, those unforgivably garish rubber Crocs that all backpackers and infants seem to own.

After receiving a brief reemergence in the 90's as an acceptable shoe of choice, we are to thank Chanel's Spring Summer 2010 runway show for breathing new life into the tired, old clog. The collection saw blinged-up platform clogs, as though Karl Lagerfeld had taken to a small prairie town with a bedazller. Louis Vuitton took up on the trend too, with a heavily tassled low-heel version, some of which even had their own colourful racoon tails to boot. Our favourite incarnation, however, was Miu Miu's, which saw 70's inspired closed-toe pump-style clogs rendered in their season's signature sunflower, swallow and kitten prints.

While the runway welcomed hyperbolic musings on clogs, we can appreciate more minimalist styles for day-to-day wear. Swedish cult brand Funkis encapsulates the nation's preoccupations with puritanism and sustainable living, and their clogs reflect this in their simplistic and understated design. We love the natural and nude hues, and also the bright blues, bloodorange red's and patent purples for summer.

Keep the thongs exclusively for the beach this summer, and try a pair of comfortable clogs to dress up your outfit with virtually no effort involved.