Ask Kim France: Feminine Sandals That Don’t Look Old-Lady-ish

I got quite a few questions along these lines, and most of the composers of those questions also specified comfort. So, while they may not be the absolutemost feminine, molded-footbedsandalslikeBirkenstockswill always be my top choice for casual summer footwear. This pair from Beek comes in a few other shades if metallic isn’t your thing, but I do kind of like the metallic best.

Varley has only recently(-ish) started offering summer footwear, and the brand got it right straight out of the gate with this happy pair.

Like Birkenstock Arizonas but a touch more refined and in such a good blue.

An appealingly minimal choice that looks highly walkable.

Moving on from footbed sandals: I will rave about my FitFlops to anyone who will listen because they provide a solid amount of height without (1) looking clunky or (2) making me fall down. They are also truly walkable — I have mentioned before that I can and do walk multiple miles in these.

Is it time for thisGerman orthopedic sandal— which enjoyed a moment of chic in the late 1990s and early 2000s — to make a full return? I owned a pair of red ones back then and loved them, but they are, to my more grown-up eye, objectively ugly. Thoughts?

These read very hippie mom, circa 1977.

And these read rich hippie mom, circa 1977.

I know you specified no thongs, but I own these and they offer quite a lot of support, so you are not constantly clenching your foot. Also, they come in other iterations, like black leather, but why on earth would you not want the yellow satin (which looks surprisingly un-cheesy in person)?

Your first option is to rent something, and I don’t adore that for a couple of reasons: (1) They are always running low on popular sizes and (2) they tend to cater to a younger clientele. Still, you can find good pieces if you care to dig. The ruffles here are an absolute delight: I feel like this is the kind of dress that would put you in a celebratory mood the moment you tried it on.

I especially love this elegant choice. But if sleevelessness scares you, a lightweightsilk-and-cashmere scarfwill take care of matters nicely.

Moving on, we’ve got a few brands that I think make great dresses that hover on or around the $500 range with a couple of splurgier ones thrown in for kicks. The first of which is Ulla Johnson; her dresses are deeply wearable and kind of trendless, so they could live in your closet for a long time. Johnson also works a lot with silk, which I like, and the print here is so unexpected and cool.

I always love a dark floral; it’s so chicly dramatic, and you can wear it all year round.

Another designer I like a lot for this type of thing is Rachel Comey, who has a masterful way with prints. This dress might need a bit of dressing up with accessories, but I think it’s just aces.

Another amazing dark floral, and it has sleeves!

I know you said no black, but is this not just insanely good?

The brand Saloni is well worth checking out too. How often does one get to wear pink on pink?

A pretty shape with quite punchy embroidered florals.

The warped plaid print is a gas, and I love how comfortable this one looks.

Moving down the price spectrum to some under-$500 options, we’ve got this one from Reformation, a brand that makes a dizzying quantity of party dresses. I think this silk one is just exquisite.

This one comes in a few other prints, but I do love this sweetly optimistic floral.

You can find some exceptionally well-priced silk dresses at Quince, and the fact that this one has long sleeves is pretty remarkable, because that’s quite rare.

A covertly sexy choice; pair it with a lightweight, shrunken cardigan if that’s too much skin to show.

A twist halter showcases the shoulders, a body part most of us don’t have a complex about.

Button-down shirts compose a healthy portion of my closet, so let’s start with a personal favorite: This one, from an indie brand that makes some of the best shirting for women that I’ve found, is so, so lightweight and soft.

Here’s one that, though not an identical copy of the shirt above, matches it vibewise and costs a lot less.

I feel that this kind of shirtdress looks so much cooler when it’s unbelted, and I love that the seersucker is brown, which is nicely unexpected.

So delightfully beachy with a fun hit of embroidery.

The thing to wear when you need to look crisp at work but also need to take the subway and walk ten blocks before you get there.

Another personal favorite:Natalie Martin’s Isobel dressescome in a nice variety of colors and prints and feel as easy as a caftan while looking more flattering.

This dupe for a megapopular LoveShackFancy dress goes for a fraction of that price.

Cute, lightweight, and just as easy as you please.

This manages to impart the sexiness of a bare arm without being entirely sleeveless.

A Frank & Eileen shirt will always go for twice what I wished it did, but it also delivers on its promise again and again. The linen leopard print here is just a delight.

I never shy away from linen — once you accept that it will get wrinkled, you are truly free. And I do like this soft-but-not-corny blue.

Short-sleeve shirts aredemonstrablycooler — I’m talking literally cooler — than simply rolling up your sleeves, and I will fight anyone who says differently.

I’ll layer one of these super-slouchy sweater-shirts over a sexy camisole that might be too much all on its own.

Super-sporty and so deeply packable.

I like the way Ruti takes classic shapes and puts unexpected new spins on them.

Is there anything better than a put-together and lightweight checked shirt in the summer?