Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
My Love Affair with Comfy Jelly Shoes and Melissa Shoes
Original article published: 6/24/24
Updated: 3/20/2025 I am no longer am ambassador for nor supporting the Melissa shoe brand as our business practices no longer align. I will be finding a new brand to love and promote for my community though…thank you to those that have sent me your favorite brands!
It all started when I was a little girl in the 1980’s. My very first pair of jelly shoes were purple wedges that attached around my ankle and I thought they were the most beautiful shoes I ever saw. As I recently looked through photographs of myself wearing them, I realized I really loved fashion and shoes even as a kid. I was always posing, finding the camera and smiling. I was such a confident little girl and I knew what I liked from a very young age.
Me, wearing my fancy jelly shoes in 1983
My love of jelly shoes continued on. I have had numerous pairs over the years. I came across various brands of jellies in high school. A pair I loved were platform “fisherman” sandals and I loved them. Being only 5-foot 1 inch in height, even in high school, they gave me a little lift while being stylish.
I still love my jellies
Did you know that Jelly shoes started by a French company called “Jelly Shoes” by Tony Alano and Nicolas Guillon in Paris, 1980. Read more about the history of Jelly shoes on Wikipedia here.
The Melissa shoe is waterproof
Jellies for Babies and Kids
If I had a kid, I’d have them wearing mini jelly shoes for sure, as even kids need comfy shoes! I can’t imagine walking through a theme park or the zoo with a child whose feet are being rubbed by a pair of shoes. Make sure they have padded soles to help OR watch their feet to make sure they aren’t rubbing.
Check out my cute Taylor Swift inspired clear visor tutorial that would match many jelly shoe styles in the 1-minute video above or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden.
Wearing my jellies in my outdoor shower
As a former teacher, nanny and babysitter, I know that they’d cry and desire to be carried, which doesn’t make for a fun day. If I had a friend that traveled a lot with a kiddo, I’d gift them with a clear matching pair for sure as they’d go with every outfit in their suitcase!
You can dress the Possession up or down
What Makes Some Jellies Different They Are Stylish and Comfy!
The fisherman style I owned in high school lives on as the “Possession” in the Melissa shoe brand and it still is simply fab. I do not support the Melissa brand itself as they do not align with my kind business practices, but they Possession is comfy. I won’t be buying any more shoes from the brand, but if you choose to, I love the clear ones because they match everything. You can dress them up or down too. You can get them on Amazon here.
Hanging out by the pool in my Possession jellies
I own the Rainbow Beach slides (this one shoe style ran a bit small, but all the others I have are true to size) and the Megan (see it on Amazon) and all are cute and comfy. The Megan looks like it would weigh alot, but it does not! It’s extremely lightweight!
This is the Melissa Megan style
I wear them with many things, as the rainbow colors match so much! I love the soft, pliable plastic of each with a soft, cushioned footbed. They are truly my summertime “rain boots” as they are each waterproof too.
The rainbow slides by Melissa
Wearing the Possession by the pool
If you’ve ever worn a pair of shoes that rubbed on your feet or hurt them after wearing them for a few hours, you know how it can just about ruin your day. Improper foot wear often is the cause of foot pain and you can read more about it here on the Hopkins Medicine website.
The Melissa Possession wears nicely on the beach!
While I love many shoes and their beauty, if it’s not comfortable, it won’t get much use in my life. I do not want severe foot problems later in life.
The clear color matches everything
I can wear most jellies all day with zero-foot pain. After being an art teacher for 10 years, I learned what foot pain was very quickly (you never sit down as an art teacher) and turned to brands like Adidas, Crocs, TOMS and Ugg shoe brands time and time again as each never hurt my feet.
Feeling fancy in my jelly shoes
Some other comfy shoe styles and brands I love with links to each (and each brand has kid-sized versions too!):
TOMS (Any of the Alpargata styles are washable and comfy, they have worked on sustainability since day one)
Crocs (Mostly the Classic Crocs are the most lightweight and comfy to me…the platforms were a bit too heavy, and they are working on their sustainability, they are also part of the HEYDUDE brand)
UGG (We love their Classic boots, slippers and my father in law has requested the slippers from us twice now…when his first pair wore out after years, he asked us to get him more as they are really comfy, and the brand is working on their sustainability)
My cute pup, Johnny Cash, loves to model with me
I worked in the corporate world and thought I had to give up all my flat shoe styles, so I turned to heels when I wanted to add height to myself in all the dresses and pant suits I wore.
The Megan, poolside at my house
I had numerous heels that were comfy, but nothing quite like the brands I wore as a teacher. I am now happy to see many jelly brands of shoes branching out to incorporate more styles that I could wear in an office environment. They aren’t just selling summer jellies anymore!
Johnny Cash works for cookies and pets
Smell and Sustainability
Some jelly shoe brands have a cute scent on each pair of their shoes that make my closet smell yummy. Many are also vegan, cruelty free, and sustainably made, meaning they pay attention to their product waste and manufacturing.
This is important because most jellies have been made from PVC, which is a plastic material so bad that even Coca-Cola Company has called it “problematic and unnecessary” (article link from Vogue Business). When brands try to recreate the jelly the right way, or create them sustainably, it matters.
Minnie Pearl wishes they made jelly shoes for her too…lol!
Plastic may not be our future, but if you redesign the footwear like some jelly brands did to use renewable materials, you see fashion moving on the right track, like when wearing real fur started it’s decline in the fashion world in the early 2000’s, thankfully.
The Melissa jellies are beach and water friendly
If you are wanting a very comfy shoe, check out jelly shoes. I do think they are among some of the most fun shoes that are great for all ages.
The Megan gives my 5”1” frame a boost in height!
The Melissa Megan is very lightweight
In loving my summer jellies, I purchased a cozy clog to wear in the winter and love them! My feet and back love them too.
Getting kisses by both pups is so sweet
With currently having acacia floors in my home (they are great floors but very hard!), my summer jellies saved my feet and back from having pain anymore.
The Cozy Clog comes in more colors
Just like my other jelly shoes, they are lightweight, cushy and are waterproof. I wore them a lot during our cold Thanksgiving visit with family in Indiana and they paired great with socks.
They kept me looking stylish and comfy all at the same time and I’d highly recommend them! They come in other colors, but I love the happy greenish yellow color….they add some happiness to gray winter days.
The Melissa Ella
Ella
The Ella (see it on Amazon here) is very similar to the Megan heel, except it’s only on about a 3” flat platform base and the toe is open.
Comparing the Ella to the Megan
The Ella comes in many colors. They are just as lightweight as the other jellies and are very comfortable.
This style reminds me of shoes I wore in the 90’s
The Ella reminds me of some platforms I wore in high school. Those were a bit higher, but the Ella is just the right height for me now. I like the adjustable strap as it simply has an easy rounded peg that the strap sits in. I mostly love these for the height. My jumpsuit (seen in the image below, I got it here for about $20 on Amazon) was only about a couple of inches too long.
This shoe height helps my jumpsuit from dragging
When I wear the Ella (though it’s my last time I’ll order Melissa shoes…see my reasoning above in the article), I can now wear my jumpsuit without it trailing the ground while walking. I could have hemmed the jumpsuit but these shoes look great with it compared to other shoes I was trying to wear with it.
My only complaint about the shoes overall is the sizing is not consistent. These Ella shoes seemed to be about a 1/4 inch shorter than the Megan or Possession and all are a size 7. I do wish the brand would work to get more consistent sizes. The TOMS shoe brand as well as the Adidas comfort slides that I love have issues with this too.
This reminds me of a Spice Girl shoe
Usually a 7 works for me in sandals and heels, but I do a 6 1/2 in my Brooks running shoes and other tennis shoes. Seems weird but I do have long toes so maybe it’s my feet?
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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.