If there’s one sign of growing up, it’s our changing priorities when it comes to footwear. During my uni days and early twenties, I’d buy sandals with abandon, taken by cool silhouettes and multiple straps and towering heels that I thought would mark the start of my Sex and the City era. Those days are over. Maybe it’s because my days now involve multiple commutes, rushing between meetings or packing a bunch of errands into a narrow time slot. Or maybe I’m just wiser. Whatever the reason, this summer I’m committed to finding sandals that my feet and I will be more than happy to wear.
Don’t be fooled—prioritising comfort no longer means having to give up on fashionable flats and heading to the orthopaedic footwear section. First, a number of brands that were once scorned for being “practical” are now admired as the originators of the coolest sandals—just look at Birkenstocks. Second, a number of newer brands are proving to be much more sympathetic to the wearer and are crafting their sleek silhouettes with wearability in mind. Australian minimalist brand St. Agni is just one example of a brand doing just that, meaning you can put on a pair of their barely-there sandals in the morning confident in the knowledge that they’ll be just as comfortable by the end of the day. Whatever sandal you’re after this summer, these are the brands I recommend checking out first.
SHOP THE COMFIEST SANDAL BRANDS:
Birkenstocks
Style Notes: Thanks to high fashion collaborations with the likes of Proenza Schouler and Rick Owens, the “ugly” sandals has well and truly become a fashion lover’s must-have. In summer, it’s the Arizona silhouette that really booms in popularity, providing a relaxed yet supportive silhouette that you can definitely wear all day long.
