Sandals That Go the Distance Worth Getting Dressed For Archives

17 items

Cotton Espadrilles You'll Actually Keep Wearing

Most espadrilles look great in a shop and feel like a compromise the moment you actually wear them. The sole collapses too quickly, the toe box loses its shape after a fortnight, and you spend the second half of summer avoiding them. We've spent time specifically looking at cotton upper espadrilles that hold up beyond the first few outings, which turns out to be a narrower field than you'd think. What we were looking for was simple enough: clean construction, a sole with some actual longevity, and a last that works for a European city break and a Sunday morning equally well. Cotton works better than canvas for breathability and it ages more gracefully too. A good espadrille should look slightly better worn in, not slightly worse. The ones we've picked here sit at that point where casual footwear stops being an afterthought and starts doing real work for your wardrobe. They earn their place from May through to September without asking much in return.

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46 items

Slip On Sandalses That Go With Most Things

Most men grab whatever is nearest the door when the weather turns and end up in something they bought on holiday three years ago that has no business being worn anywhere with decent lighting. Slip on sandals deserve more credit than they get. The right pair works with linen trousers, works with shorts, works with the kind of relaxed summer outfit that looks effortless precisely because everything in it has been thought about. Leather is almost always the right material. It ages well, it moulds to the foot, and it looks considered rather than accidental. We've been looking specifically for sandals that sit in that useful middle ground between beach footwear and something you could actually wear to lunch. Clean lines, minimal branding, a sole with enough weight to it. The ones that work tend to do so because they are quiet about it. No fuss, no statement. Just a very good sandal that makes the rest of the outfit better.

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49 items

The Buckle Sandalses Worth Owning

Most men treat sandals as an afterthought and it shows. The flip flop grabbed on the way to a holiday, the shapeless foam thing that does nobody any favours. Buckle sandals are a different proposition entirely. Done well, they sit close enough to a proper shoe that you can wear them with linen trousers, shorts that aren't embarrassing, or a casual summer suit without the whole thing falling apart. The buckle is what does the work. It gives structure, it allows a proper fit across the foot, and it signals that some thought went into the choice. We've been looking specifically at leather construction, footbed quality, and whether the sole has enough substance to last more than one summer. Single strap, double strap, toe loop or none. The silhouette matters less than the materials and the make. These are the buckle sandals we'd actually pack, wear out of the airport, and not think twice about.

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41 items

The Velcro Sandalses Worth Owning

Velcro sandals had a bad decade or two and we understand why people are cautious. The association with certain types of holidaymaker is hard to shake. But something shifted, and the better brands figured out that the same adjustable closure system that made them practical could work inside a piece of footwear that was actually well designed. The result is a sandal that fits properly, stays put, and looks considered rather than accidental. We have been particularly interested in styles where the strap layout is clean, the sole has some substance to it, and the colourways do not require an apology. Worn with a relaxed trouser or longer shorts, the right Velcro sandal sits comfortably in the same wardrobe as pieces you spent real money on. The wrong one still looks like a mistake. We have done the work of telling the difference so you do not have to start from scratch.

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19 items

Three Strap Sandalses That Go With Most Things

The sandal category is full of options that work in theory and fall apart the moment you actually try to build an outfit around them. Too minimal and they look like an afterthought. Too heavily strapped and you've somehow made casual footwear into a conversation piece nobody asked for. The three strap sandal sits in exactly the right place. Enough structure to look considered, enough simplicity to work with shorts, lightweight trousers, or even a linen suit if you've got the nerve. We've been looking specifically at leather construction and footbed quality, because those are what separate a sandal that lasts three summers from one that gives up by August. Colour matters too. Tan and brown carry the most weight across different outfits, but we've included a few other options where the case was strong enough. These are the ones we'd wear to an aperitivo and feel no need to explain.

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41 items

Two Strap Sandalses That Look Better as They Age

Most sandals look best in the shop and worse every time after that. The leather goes pale and shapeless, the footbed stops holding any real form, and within a season you've got something that looks borrowed rather than owned. Two strap sandals made properly do the opposite. The leather darkens where your foot sits, the straps soften and conform, and after a summer of wear they start to look like something with a history. That's the sandal worth buying. We've been looking specifically at two strap constructions because the proportions are right for most foot shapes and the silhouette reads clean without being fussy. A well made pair works with linen trousers, shorts that aren't too short, and that particular warm evening where nothing else makes sense. The ones in here are built on proper soles with leather that has enough body to age with some dignity. Buy them now and they'll look better by September.

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