Why do I even bother to come back from the dead when the moment I return to life I face mortification at every turn? Sigh.
So here’s the deal, I spend Thursday evenings in the bar of Austin’s grandest hotel drinking Hendrick’s martinis, being sociable and casually hoping to meet the first of what I hope will be a veritable slew of wealthy foreign husbands with chiseled jaws and Norman castles who don’t understand big complicated phrases like “entrapment” and “community property laws.”
One might think that the bar of the poshest hotel in town would be excellent people watching, in fact *I* thought the poshest hotel in town would be excellent people watching but sadly, no. It has done nothing but reinforce the idea that money cannot buy taste and that there is no such thing as a formal flip flop.
I don’t think I realized quite how much I hated flip flops until I saw pair after pair of bejeweled, bedazzled, bewildering flip flops slapslapslapping their way through the ankle-deep carpet. Frankly, if you are not at a beach, in a communal shower or getting your toes did, there is no reason to wear flip flops outside the house. None? NONE.
Let me ask you flip flop wearers something…other than comfort, which I’ll take your word for, what’s the allure? They’re not attractive. The cheap ones are cheap and the expensive ones just LOOK cheap and there is not an outfit that cannot be wrecked by the judicious (or injudicious) application of those slippy slappy monsters.
Oh and please don’t get me started with BRIDAL flip flops. I’m feeling faint. Quick, someone better refill my Hendrick’s.*
*Hendrick’s is the Unofficial Gin of Manolo for The Big Girl. Not only is it the finest gin I’ve ever consumed –which is fair praise indeed considering that I’m Church of England and thus haven’t been sober since first communion– but their annual Olympiad judges competitors on “style, wit, intellect and cut of trouser” and that’s the sort of sport I can get behind.
There was a very short period of time when I nursed the idea of going into the shoe business. I even went to a shoe-making workshop on the West Coast for a week to learn and came back with a pair of shoes and newly developed respect for anyone who can design shoes that a) look good and b) are comfortable. I hate flipflops, in any of their incarnations. They are stupid, they are dangerous(my company has outlawed them because we are on the fifth floor and no one should be running down the stairs in a fire in something like that), and from what I have read, they are also not good for the feet. My youngest daughter used to be the flipflop wearer in the family, but she now lives in London and has learned the wonder of wearing wonderful shoes and boots. No flipflops. Ever.
Comment by Toby Wollin — March 28, 2008 @ 3:53 pm
Plumcake – I love you for the fact that you: hate flip-flops, are CofE, and know not only what a chasuble is but how to spell it.
Comment by Elizabeth — March 28, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
Honestly, I’d like to reduce your list of permissible reasons to wear them down to “getting your toes did.” There are other things to put on your feet at the beach, and communal showers? Eeeuw.
Comment by Judy — March 28, 2008 @ 4:41 pm
teva flip flops are essential when you live in the city, its 105 degrees and 90 percent humidity and you have to run errands. Sorry, I know wearing flip flops to a fancy bar is gross, but living life in the summer in the city? Anything else is uncomfortable and hot (even simple strappy shoes because you’re just going to sweat so much you fall out of them and kill yourself). I love my Tevas. I can’t wait until I buy my next pair. Crocs, of course are a whole different story. Those are awful.
Comment by unred — March 28, 2008 @ 4:59 pm
I would like to ditto unred’s comment. I live in the deep south and it gets seriously hot and humid during the summer here. Around here, we wear flip flops because they are the shoe version of our summer clothes: strappy and barely touching flesh.
Comment by Sarah — March 28, 2008 @ 5:15 pm
Well, to each her own, unred: I live in a very hot, smoggy city, and I have never turned to flip flops for comfort in the heat and humidity (or, at least, not since I was eight).
I say, whenever one is tempted to go out of the house in those silly, sloppy, dangerous shoes, just pretend nobody ever invented the flip flop and put on some decent sandals.
Comment by Bridey — March 28, 2008 @ 5:15 pm
Ack! Sorry to sound so snippy — should’ve read that over. I just don’t like flip flops, is what it is!
Comment by Bridey — March 28, 2008 @ 5:20 pm
Why do I wear them? For the same reason I wear everything else I wear: I like them.
I’ve never possessed a pair of shoes with backs on them that didn’t turn my heel into hamburger. Not a $700 shoe, not $50 shoe, not a tennis shoe, not a pump, not a d’orsay–zero, zip, nada. I size down, I size up. Each and every time I wear a dress shoe with a back, I come home with blood bliststers. I put in shoe gaurds, I come home with blood blisters. I use a shoe stretcher, I come with blood blisters. I “break them in around the house” giving myself blood blisters around the house and then again when I wear them out of the house.
Thus I am a fan of backless shoes, I fear, no matter how much irritation it causes the most blessed of shoe divas, Miss Plumcake.
Comment by Chaser — March 28, 2008 @ 5:22 pm
OK. Although every fiber of my being cries out against rubber flip flops, I do confess to having bins of the damn things that I wear to the pool in the summer. They are highly decorated and come in crazy colors and patterns and are only worn when I am not taking myself seriously. I sort of collect them, like you would matchbook covers or thimbles from Niagra falls or those little spoons. I always thought it was just an extension of my foot fetish. That being said, they are never to be worn to the office, on a date, or during any serious adult activity.
On a different note, I was staying at the Ritz Carlton in Vegas one time, after a particularly arduous airport hold up that involved a great deal of walking at a layover in Chicago. I sustained mega blisters on both feet and none of the myriad pairs of shoes that I had packed could be worn without excruciating pain. I went to the hotel gift shop for bandaids and flip flops to get me through the first 2 days. They had a pair covered in crystals that came in my size (a miracle) and I said “W-T-F, I’ll take ’em” until the salesgirl tod me they were $150.00. I went barefoot ’til I healed. My point is, that at a $1.99 they’ll do in an emergency, but at $150.00 you should have your head examined. I don’t care what is glued on them.
Comment by gemdiva — March 28, 2008 @ 6:08 pm
Well, Chaser, there are backless shoes and there are flip-flops. The former can be marvelous.
Comment by Lysana — March 28, 2008 @ 6:14 pm
While I agree that there are times and places to dress appropriately, for going about one’s average daily business in the summer, I see nothing wrong with a cute top with some capris and flip-flops. Granted, I’m willing to admit that I have something of a Gidget fetish and such an outfit makes me feel like a little ’60s surfer girl. But I can’t see how they are any more offensive than your average functional (non-fashion) athletic shoe.
Frankly, I am just happy to find any kind of shoes that I can walk for hours in without giving me blisters or making the ball of my foot sore or my legs ache. I would love to find a pair of cute sandals made with the same cushy eva sole as my Reef flip-flops but I have yet to come across such a thing. In the meantime, I keep wasting money on shoes that I can’t wear. Last summer I bought 2 different pairs of espadrilles. The Naturalizer slingbacks gave me blisters on my little toes. With the other pair, the ribbon that tied around ankle sliced open my skin. Sometimes I think I need shoes made out of silk and bubble wrap.
Comment by KellyGirl — March 28, 2008 @ 6:44 pm
I lived in flip-flops (though we called them thongs) every summer as a child, but they fell from favour in my teens. More recently though, fancified (black, beaded) rubber flip-flops were my footwear of choice while on holiday in the South of France. Walking around a hot and humid Monte Carlo in closed shoes (which admittedly were too new) chewed up my feet something awful, and I had no other shoes that (a) fit over my humidity-swollen feet, and (b) didn’t hurt to wear. The beaded flips in question came from a beachfront store in St. Tropez, and they still go with me wherever there’s a beach or a pool, because they’re fast and easy to put on and take off. But they never get worn to work, or “out”.
And I still get a kick out of saying, in response to admiring looks, “oh, I got them in St. Tropez”. :D
Comment by Wendy — March 28, 2008 @ 8:07 pm
Well, I have to say as I am sitting here typing this, I have a pair of flip flops on. Reason: I’ve got this terrible corn on the little toe of my right foot. It’s KILLING me and it’s from wearing my nice high heels. Now, I’m not going to blame the high heels as I’ve been wearing them most of my life, but during the last few years I’ve taken to wearing them bare foot (i.e. no hose of any kind). This just kills my feet, apparently. Flip flops are the only type of shoe that does not put pressure on the dang corn. That being said, I can’t wait till this thing is gone so I can go back to my heels! Of course, I have invested in those little Peds toe cover thingies. I sure hope they work. I can’t stand looking at all the marvelous shoes in the closet and not being able to wear them!
PS – any advice on corn prevention would be much appreciated!
Comment by AquaMarine — March 28, 2008 @ 9:02 pm
There’s three reasons I wear flip-flops.
1. The dreaded icky communal showers. It’s part of dorm life, and going barefoot in showers = gross.
2. Warm spring days when it’s rainy and the ground’s covered in puddles and you’re rushing out the door but any real shoes will leave you with wet feet all day.
3. Easiest thing to put on when you’re hanging around the dorm or have to run to the laundryroom or the dining hall or the post office via the tunnels.
Aside from those reasons…ew.
Comment by Calixti — March 28, 2008 @ 9:15 pm
Haha. I’m a bit amused. Seems like all the girls here AREN’T the ones that are keeping the flip flop companies in business.
I, however, love them. I think they’re cute! I’m a Florida beach bunny with a laid back style. I’m not going out for a day of shopping all trussed up in high heeled boots.
Now, I can appreciate a gorgeous leather sandal or perfect heel just like the next girl, but flip flops will always be in my closet sitting right beside them.
Comment by Angel — March 28, 2008 @ 9:27 pm
Ooh, can we have more official alcoholic beverages for MftBG? I totally nominate Chopin or Hangar One for the vodka category. (I can almost never find the latter but it’s delicious)
Comment by sara — March 28, 2008 @ 11:20 pm
Id trade in the husband ( and he’s a good one) before my luggage brown leather Cole Haan thongs. Take the cat before Id part with the golden pearl baby-soft Mephisto thongs. Headed to the store in the am for patent leather leopard print Mephisto thongs. They are just so cute and cool!
Comment by Peaches — March 29, 2008 @ 12:20 am
I don’t think I’ve attempted to wear a flip flop since I was about eight. Darn things never stayed properly on my feet, so I was always landing heavily on a pointy rock, sharp twig, or gooey puddle of something best left unidentified just as my shoe decided it had no need to actually be in alignment with my heel.
Now I wear non-flip flop sandals when the weather is hot. And even as a small child I had no love for the idea of wearing them for anything more formal than running out to the ice cream truck.
Comment by Twistie — March 29, 2008 @ 12:55 am
I wear leather flipflops, never rubber ones, but down here in southern AZ/CA we call them “chanclas.” I have all sorts of chanclas, slides and sandals. We wear them year round as our coldest winter is like spring in other parts of the country. I love my heels and shoes, but the chanclas and sandals are what we wear day to day.
Comment by L — March 29, 2008 @ 1:25 am
I love flipflops. I think they are totally awesome, comfortable, but I also realize that they have a time and a place. Out in the summer heat of some city–sure. In a fancy pants bar? Hell to the mothefucking no.
For many, many years I wore flipflops, AND ONLY FLIPFLOPS. Yes, even in a Wyoming winter. There I was, courting frostbite, in my goddamn flipflops.
But now I have discovered the miracles of flats. And now I have an amazing pair of Lacoste flats that I got for a super discount that I wear ALL THE TIME.
Comment by Rosemary — March 29, 2008 @ 1:42 am
I can’t stand having crap between my toes. Houston is even worse than Austin (and oh, how the flip flops, jeans, and ratty t-shirts make me weep into my Patron and fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice- since we’re doing liquors of choice here,) but I understand the appeal, even as I decry the shoe. It’s gross, it’s hot, there’s always mud somewhere, and there’s always road construction ripping up the sidewalks and adding extraneous dirt; why not have a pair of shoes of which you can slide in and out with the greatest of ease? The answer to that comes from my friend’s broken ankle.
Comment by megaera — March 29, 2008 @ 3:55 am
I can’t stand having crap between my toes, so flip flops are out of the question for me. Houston is even worse than Austin in terms fo the weather and the casual wear(oh, how the flip flops, jeans, and ratty t-shirts make me weep into my Patron and fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice- since we’re doing liquors of choice here,) but I understand the appeal of the thong flip flop, even as I decry the shoe. It’s gross, it’s hot, there’s always mud somewhere, and there’s always road construction ripping up the sidewalks and adding extraneous dirt; why not have a pair of shoes of which you can slide in and out with the greatest of ease? The answer to that comes from my friend’s broken ankle.
Comment by megaera — March 29, 2008 @ 3:56 am
I can’t actually walk in flip flops.
I have no understanding how other people manage it.
It means in summer, I’m usually stuck with horrid men’s sandals (wide fit comfy sandals in a women’s UK 8 that look fairly young and funky? Isn’t going to happen).
The communal shower thing makes sense… although as it isn’t an option for me at all I use jelllies.
Google Image search for Jellies
Again, these aren’t an option for normal summer wear as they induce sweating, as any non-breathable material does.
This means we’re down to… plimsols. And I’m constantly spraining my ankle in those.
(Plus trying to explain to any shoe salesperson what a motor-movement learning disorder is seems to confuse them).
*Ends the whine*
Comment by leymoo — March 29, 2008 @ 10:39 am
L, Aren’t chancletas also a traditional tool for disciplining children?
Comment by class-factotum — March 29, 2008 @ 11:23 am
I like flip flops when I’m dressed super casual in the summer. Nothing goes with a pair of casual shorts and a tank top like a pair of cute flip flops! I agree that “formal” flip flops are an abomination though
Comment by Becky — March 29, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
I will admit to wearing flip-flops a lot. I don’t wear them to a bar or a restaurant, but I do wear them a lot. I have terrible, no good, very bad feet that are really only comfortable when I’m barefoot. Even really well-made shoes will make them hurt. I won’t go into to detail. Just suffice it to say that my feet are screwed. up. through no fault of my own. Flip-flops are the closest thing I can get to barefoot in public.
Comment by Wallydraigle — March 29, 2008 @ 1:52 pm
I believe that flip flops have their time and place: the previously mentioned showers, the beach or pool (foot coverings at the beach need to be mostly open for sand removal and 100% ok with being wet), running around the house and yard. and quick trips to Home Depot to pick up 40 lb bags of manure where the fact that you’re not covered head to toe in paint like most of the other customers means you’re among the better dressed there.
I don’t understand how people walk flip flops them all day, humid or not: they slide around when my feet sweat and are completely non-supportive. When I need a sandal to walk in all day I turn to my trusty leather Tevas or equivalent.
But as fashion? No. Not all clothes are fashion, nor should they be – one of the keys to dressing well is to know the difference and apply it appropriately.
Comment by TropicalChrome — March 29, 2008 @ 2:55 pm
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOOOOOVVVVVEEEEE flipflops! I cry at the end of every summer when I have to give them up again. I live in Ohio and, sadly, my flipflop days are too few. They look so cute with jeans and cropped pants and a t-shirt and summery skirt. Adorable! I have a bazillion pairs and never stop buying them, however, I refuse to be the ass that walks around Ohio in November still wearing flipflops.
Comment by Linda — March 29, 2008 @ 3:11 pm
Flip flops have become such ubiquitous summer footgear in Manhattan, that I fell into the trap. Nevermind the disruption to my fashion sense — a couple of summers of pounding the city sidewalks in them, and I ended up with severe heel pain lasting well into my return to constructed shoes in the fall.
Last summer I cast off my flip-flops and treated myself to several new pairs of well-made sandals in their place — low-heeled, platform, and wedge-heeled — and banished the flip-flops to running down to the laundry room. Heel pain, gone; fashion sense, miraculously restored.
Comment by Catherine — March 29, 2008 @ 4:14 pm
I LOATHE flip-flops with every fiber of my being. They bare the ugliest part of the human body that is socially acceptable to show; they slow down your gait and make you walk funny; they make a funny sound, and they are inappropriate for 99% of all gatherings that don’t involve water or manure. Besides, they force you into a pigeon-toed stance that is bad for your legs. Don’t even get me started on how some people think that because you’re wearing a foam rubber sole strapped to your feet by a pair of rubber bands that it is somehow okay to kick off your shoes and rub your dirty feet all over the seats in a restaurant! (I’ve seen this happen a few times.)
For the love of god and all that is holy, if you must wear sandals, can you wear that — sandals? Something that attaches to the foot and gives some support to the sole, and is aesthetically passable, would be great.
Comment by Chelsea — March 29, 2008 @ 5:23 pm
Let me point out that not all flip flops are these cheapies:
http://www.oldnavy.com/browse/product.do?searchCID=26519&pid=522173&scid=522173082&vid=-1
There are these:
http://www.ems.com/catalog/product_detail_square.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442595062&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302889936&bmUID=1206826459316
and these:
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/33160973/c/3.html
and these:
http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?page=ashland-cork-sandals&categoryId=49654&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&parentCategory=503443&cat4=503423&shop_method=pp&feat=503443-tn
I am a fan of flip flops in all their incarnations. While not all flip flops are appropriate for all places, there are some that I think can be worn in bar – the same kind of bar where the 40-something guy next to you is wearing wranglers and white sneakers, but still.
Comment by Leah — March 29, 2008 @ 5:41 pm
Allow me to explain. I learned how to wear flipflops in Hawaii. They call them slippas there. They are shed before entering anyones home.
A slippa neither flips nor flops. It stays on the foot, held there by lightly crunched toes. It excercises the foot and is responsible for the sexy Island Walk. Many men think womens feet are sexy, not ugly.
Comment by Alana Sullivan — March 29, 2008 @ 7:23 pm
I quite like flip flops, but only flat ones. Platform flip flops or wedge flip flops (like J Crew sells) are, to my mind, schkanky. One should also mind the width of the ribbon or leather: too wide is also unattractive.
Comment by Miss Cavendish — March 29, 2008 @ 8:14 pm
I have flip flops that I can run in. I’ve had to run in them. And there are flip flops that are well constructed and attractive, even ones with some support. The best ones are made by Rainbow Sandals (a San Clemente, Ca based company) and will last you years and years – in fact – the materials are of such a quality that the shoes are ‘Guaranteed for the life of the sole’. Have a look at their leather double layer soles and tell me that they don’t have any arch support!
http://www.rainbowsandals.com/Default.asp
I’ve worn them for years, have a super high arch and have never had any problems. They also have different strap widths to compliment different feet shapes.
Also, I’d like to add to the list of acceptable places to wear flip-flops: On boats, on piers, anywhere not fancy or requiring hiking in Hawaii (and other tropical islands), Southern California, Arizona, Mexico, and most of Australia, the supermarket, work (if you are a lifeguard or some other job that requires you to remove footwear quickly) and any seaside shopping/eating/gallery visiting.
Comment by sam — March 30, 2008 @ 1:15 am
What? No comments on Hendrick’s?
Mr. Henry believes that Plumcake only used the denunciation of flip-flops as a diversion from her higher mission, namely, to praise the one true gin, magical elixir of the gods and the Scots.
Comment by Mr. Henry — March 30, 2008 @ 7:59 am
“Let me ask you flip flop wearers something…other than comfort, which I’ll take your word for, what’s the allure?”
I wear flip flops around the house in lieu of slippers. I rarely wear them out of the house; however, on occasion my rheumatoid arthritis will cause my feet to puff up like balloons. When this happens, it is physically impossible to get my feet into a normal shoe; therefore, I wear flip flops. I have been forced to wear flip flops to the office and to various social events at which they are not really appropriate. Just this past week, I had to break out the flip flops due to the insane swelling of the feet, in fact. I wore them to the office twice last week. So, all you flip flop haters, please consider that some of us must wear them out of medical necessity. Be kind.
Comment by Cat — March 30, 2008 @ 11:43 am
I DO NOT GET the allure of flipflops! I cannot stand anything rubbing in between my toes, and flips tend to offer no support, plus they make that awful sound. It chaps my hide that some girls think they are appropriate footwear for the office. Appalling.
Also, because I know we can be honest here, most people have UGLY feet. Flips are thus the shoewear version of TMI. Cover those tootsies up, people!
Comment by Kimberly — March 30, 2008 @ 1:46 pm
I think flip flops can definitely look pretty in the right situation. One has to find the right pair, of course, and amidst all the trash out there, nice flip-flops are a rare breed. To really do it right, I’d suggest going somewhere where people don’t see them as a casual shoe, and who can make them look as artful as any beautiful shoe. I get mine in India. I realize this may be a somewhat inaccessible shopping area for many people.
There’s one thing I have to add, though. Flip-flops are as difficult to walk correctly in as a pair of high heels. Most people when on the beach or whatever will walk with their feet splayed out sideways duck-style when wearing flip-flops. If you’re going to wear them anywhere else, learn how to walk in them.
And what’s this about feet or toes being ugly and unacceptable to bare? I respectfully disagree! Were that the case, a lot of beautiful strappy shoes would be socially unacceptable. Personally, I love my feet and I think they look great with a nice pedicure.
Comment by Nariya — March 31, 2008 @ 7:48 pm
Perhaps what we need is a definition of the flip flop? It seems that many of us are talking about very different things. To me, flip flops are the cheap foam-rubber soled, painful plastic strap between the toes variety. I find them annoying, more because of the idiots who do wear them in the middle of Wisconsin winters than anything else, but I’ve never found a pair that were comfortable. I have never had the issues of falling out of them that some have, but the hard plastic strap always bothers my toes.
I do have a pair of really great Coleman thongs with arch support, rugged soles, and leather straps lined in cotton. These are the best things to take the dog out in, even on long walks in the park.
I also fail to see why many of the arguments made against flip flops can’t also be made against slides, mules, and the like. I am not defending flip flops, but rather supporting other types of shoes that may be similar. Maybe, like heels, it takes some dedicated practice to properly wear thongs and other backless shoes?
Comment by frumpiefox — April 1, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
I can understand flip flops in communal showers, at the beach or when nothing else fits. But in Washigton,DC, it’s a safety issue.
The Metro platforms are hard and feet could easily get hurt from getting stepped on-ouch! Esclators can chew them and your feet. City blocks are long and the pavement can be uneven. Why bother?
Stay safe, everyone!
Comment by dcsurfergirl — April 1, 2008 @ 4:51 pm
When I lived in the City, I had to wean myself off my flipflop addiction quickly, but having moved back to coastal SC, I’m looking forward to flipflop weather. I have had Reefs and Rainbows and Tevas and even a number of cheap Old Navys and loved them all. Around here, since the water is only a thought away, people wear them all the time.
Comment by Tuppence — April 3, 2008 @ 1:19 pm
Here is the rub…Defining the difference between the flippity flop and the sandal. Is it composition? Is it height? Is it the absence of a heel strap? Before one can condemn an entire genera, one must define the genera or identify the exceptions. The Manolo has been reccommending several foot claddings that are marginally related to the flip flips… How can I know what is right??? (sob)
Comment by Jennie — April 3, 2008 @ 10:46 pm
Mr. Henry, you are so right! All that flip flop talk was just a smoke screen in order to rightly praise a delicious, delicious gin that will be the cause of our bankruptcy. But Mrs. Hendricks doesn’t care: she’s thrilled to have discovered the delightful Plumcake, her witty words, and a gin soul sister in Texas. Mrs. Hendricks used to live in Dallas and she still finds herself nostalgic for it after all these years.
Onward, Plumcake! Your adoring public needs you!
Comment by Mrs. Hendricks — April 12, 2008 @ 12:03 pm
Thank you to frumpiefox and Jennie, and may I add my voice to the request “Will someone please clearly define “flip-flops” ” before railing against them?”
I’ve read rants where it seemed that a flip-flop was any shoe with a minimal upper and no heel strap. And ones where the author is pretty clearly limiting their ire to the cheap plastic beach-shoe sandal. And others where the definition seems to be “any shoe that is capable of making that annoying slappy sound when the wearer is walking.” But then again, maybe they’re any sandal that has a thong-ish upper and a bit (loop or stem) that separates the big toe from the others? Or should that last definition read “any *flat* sandal…”?
I think that everybody would agree that these are flip-flops:
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/37659325/c/5462.html
But are these?
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/38234701/c/16784.html
How about these?
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/38011162/c/20.html
What about these? are they sandals or high-heeled flip-flops?
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/38218606/c/325.html
These? Despite the fact that they’d look great with a floaty, beachy sort of gauze outfit?
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/38218542/c/136941.html
Or these? They’ve got the whole minimal upper, toe separation thing going on, but they’ve also got a back strap. Flip-flop or not?
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/38218510/c/314.html
Right now, I’m sitting here wearing a pair of flat, suede leather-upper, thong-type sandals although the strap over the top of my foot is not so much V-shaped as it is triangular. I’ll be wearing them tomorrow, too, and probably all day Monday. Why? Because my feet are swollen and it’s wear them or go barefoot. They’re also quite comfortable. And if I were to go somewhere that they were too casual for, I would change into my dressier sandals of extremely similar style – the smooth leather ones with the beads on them.
Comment by rabrab — April 13, 2008 @ 1:55 am