Nothing says simplistic style like the fashionable footwear of the Far East that came to be known as china flats, or china doll shoes. With their black cloth mary jane top and their thinly-padded insole, these shoes were perfect for those who craved a little exotic flair in their footwear - or simply needed something appropriate to wear for a nocturnal ninja escapade. 

What they lacked in an orthopedic sense, china flats made up for with affordability and casual comfort as easy to slip on as the average bedroom slipper. Men even jumped on the bandwagon with their own version known as the kung fu shoe. Popular with the New Wave crowds, the simple black style of china flats eventually gave way to more decorative versions that featured embroidered dragons or flowers as well as satin and velvet materials.

And for those with their own creative inclinations, the simple black originals provided a compelling blank canvas perfect for self-decoration. From pretty flowers to plastic fruit, just about anything the imagination could conceive of could be used to decorate these simple shoes that won the hearts of westerners everywhere with their exotic simplicity.