What makes an icon, an icon? In the case of items that fall within fashion’s purview, qualifying is quite a feat. For starters, there’s the to-ing and fro-ing of trends to contend with, which all but ensures few pieces of clothing are truly worthy of the term. Still, a select number of blockbusters remain deserving of the designation. When they do, they’re often the sort of things that fulfil that mythic “timeless” criterion; think 501 jeans; Ray-Ban Wayfarers; Common Projects Achilles sneakers. Age, it seems, is clearly just a number in this litmus test: Levi’s might have been around for over a century and a half, but the Achilles low-top only turned up in 2004.

In the case of Gucci’s horsebit loafers, a shoe whose status is well-established, we’ve witnessed the birth of an icon twice. Once in 1953, when it made its first appearance on the feet of well-heeled Italians and then again, after Mr Alessandro Michele was installed at the house’s helm back in 2015. True, the style already boasted a spot in the Met’s permanent collection when the creative director arrived, but his intervention (and reinvention) has heralded the gilded slip-on’s renaissance.

Mr Michele’s first order of business was redesigning the toe of the shoes; elongating and sculpting it into an elegant almond-shape. Dubbed the Jordaan, it was an overnight success. Then came the backless version and, after that, a fur-lined iteration that drove Instagram into a predictable fevered frenzy. Since then, countless varieties in myriad fabric and colour combinations have appeared. And now, it seems Mr Michele is at it again.

Until now, the only place you couldn’t reasonably wear your Guccis was the beach. So, the appearance of these horsebit espadrilles on MR PORTER’s shelves feel like the logical next step in the brand’s quest for wardrobe domination. Made from monogrammed canvas and set on sturdy jute soles, time will tell if they have what it takes to attain timeless status. But, for now at least, we’ll settle for this timely addition to our summer closets.