The barely there sandal emerges as the smash hit of party season

Tonight we’re going to party like it’s 1999.

And while it’s not necessary to dance the night away to the Vengaboys clutching a Smirnoff Ice — though each to their own — it does concern your choice of party shoe. Just like the Backstreet Boys, the Nineties strappy sandal is back. And while it may not be the most sensible mid-December footwear, its revival is causing something of a stir among revellers and fashion folk alike.

“We knew the barely-there sandal was having a serious comeback when we saw its prominence at the September fashion shows,” says Elizabeth von der Goltz, Net-A-Porter’s global buying director.

“We backed the trend heavily for autumn/winter 18, selling out of numerous styles.” Among them is the now signature “Bare” leather sandal from The Row — the quiet luxury label of former Nineties

It-kids Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. The nearly-naked style, which features super-skinny foot-framing straps and a modest 65mm kitten heel, sold out within two weeks of launching, in spite of their £650 price tag, and the site has since sold more than 500 pairs to date. Now they’re back, in four colours, from coral to navy and white to tangerine.Bare sandal, £650, The Row

And it doesn’t end there. Currently, Net-A-Porter has more than 160 styles of naked sandals across 30 brands, from Aquazzura’s Purist heel to Alexander Wang’s PVC strap Nova slingbacks. Among the brands to generate the most sales is social media sensation By Far, whose minimalist, Nineties-inspired styles can be seen on the feet of the street style elite. Its most popular iterations are the two-strap Tanya mules and the low-heeled Libra and Virgo sandals, with both featuring a simple, low-key strap across the toes.

But unlike most trends to have re-emerged from the murky depths of questionable Nineties taste in recent months — see spandex cycling shorts and handkerchief halternecks — this is one throwback which isn’t stuck in the past. As von der Goltz points out, the pre-Millennium classic has grown-up over the past twentysomething years. “It’s now a more sophisticated shape than previous iterations and is actually very work-appropriate, so long as you keep the heel height to a comfortable three inches.”

London-based brand Neous is among those to have nailed the 1995-via-2018 vibe in its collection of strappy sandals which feature a sensible, angular block mid-heel. A square toe is also a must — see Urban Outfitters’s Soho mules, which tick all the boxes and also, to the relief of party-goers everywhere, looks particularly good when partnered with a pair of glittery lurex socks.

Of course, before we know it, party season will be over for another year, which begs the question: is this trend just for Christmas? As if. In fact, it’s likely to fetch even more admirers in the new year. For the pre-spring collections, due to land in stores any second now, Net-A-Porter has expanded its offering, with naked sandal styles accounting for 10 per cent of its total buy. New names to look out for include LA’s Emme Parsons, who counts skimpy, strappy styles in her brand’s DNA, while the site has also snapped up 1,000 units of By Far’s latest low-key style, the Brigette, as well as refreshing stocks of The Row’s now cult Bare sandal in even more shades. Viva forever.