There are shoes you wear. And then there are shoes that say something about you. Birkenstocks belong to the latter category – and always have, it just took the world a while to understand it. What started as an orthopedic staple in the seventies is now present in the wardrobes of fashion editors, designers, and all those who supposedly don't care about fashion.

The Arizona, the Boston, the Zürich: they all share the same characteristic. They don't seem to be trying to be anything. The footbed is visible. The buckles are functional. Nothing is hidden, nothing staged. And that's precisely why they work with almost everything. A flowing linen dress in beige, loose and uncreased – paired with the Arizona in black. Wide, rolled-up straight-leg jeans with a simple white T-shirt – paired with the Boston in natural leather. These combinations require no explanation.

What makes Birkenstocks so reliable in styling is their neutrality. They don't merge into a look; they stand beside it. This gives them a presence that more expensive, elaborate shoes often cannot achieve. And once you understand how that works, you rarely reach for anything else.