Most men treat sandals as an afterthought and then wonder why their summer wardrobe feels unfinished the moment shoes come off. The problem is rarely the outfit. It is the sandals. A bad pair undermines everything above the ankle. A good one does the opposite, which is why we have been paying close attention to what actually makes a sandal worth wearing beyond a poolside or a quick shop run.

Footbed quality matters more than most people realise. So does the leather, and how the straps sit across the foot without cutting in after an hour of walking. We have been looking at pairs that handle a full day in a city, a long lunch, a beach town, a terrace. The kind of sandal that photographs well and also feels right at the end of a long day.

These are not compromises dressed up as choices. They are the ones that actually hold up when it counts.