Kork-Ease, Rothy’s, Camper: This Year’s Sandal Report

Otherflip-flopsthat brand consultantLucia Litmanhas worn, like Havaianas, tend to dig into her feet. But her first time trying on Gap’s Canvas Platform Flip-Flops, she realized the polyester on the thong strap wasn’t abrasive and wouldn’t give her blisters. On a recent trip to Madrid, they handled back-to-back20,000-step days — including a walk in a park where everyone was watching Spain in theWorld Cuplive — “without any pain or discomfort.” (And “they’re great to pack if you’re going forcarry-ononly,” Litman says.) They really are versatile. “I wouldn’t wear a plastic flip-flop with a dress or skirt, and I wouldn’t wear my leather flip-flops to the beach, so these fit in the nice middle ground,” she says. The resemblance toThe Row’s Dune flip-flops(which retail for $750) is not lost on either of us. I couldn’t help but get Gap’s myself. Remember Old Navy’s $1 flip-flops? These are better in every way — and frequently marked down to around $15 (or less).

Square-toed rather than round, these Havaianas are a nice change from the brand’s standard pair. It “gives them that grown-woman feel,” says journalistDevine Blacksher, who owns two pairs: one for indoors, the other for out (say, running errands or going to a pedicure appointment).Vanessa Krooss, head of brand for Merit, keeps a pair by the front door when she needs to make a bodega run or take out the trash. Prop stylist and set designerAlexandra Massillonsays they’re “the go-to pick if you find yourself in a situation where you need to go to walk the dog, then go to the beach, then hit a party after.” (“They’re the type of flip flop I feel like you can maybe get away with at a ‘no shoes, no shirt, no service’ establishment,” she adds.) Massillon says the thinner straps on the square-toe style (compared with the round-toe) “can dig in after a while if they are not broken in.” But they fit her narrow feet well, so she isn’t as likely to stumble while wearing them, as she sometimes does in wider-fitting pairs: “I no longer have to grip my toes for fear that the flip-flops will come off flying.”

“I might say they are the most Goop-coded Havaianas, but that would give the impression I shop at Goop,” says artistMelly Wirtes. The Havaianas Slim Crystal Flip-Flops are the pair she slips into for walks around the block on the Upper East Side and vacations to South Carolina and Jamaica. It “may be laughable,” but the Slim’s little crystal turns them into something more thanjusta humble flip-flop, she tells me. It helps that the color “kind of registers as a neutral on my skin tone (read: fair complexion perpetually slightly sunburned in summer)” in a now sold-outballet rose. (Meanwhile, she mentally earmarks Havaianas’Brazil— more on those below — as “swimming pool/beach/outdoor” flip-flops.)

You can often catchCatbird’s chief creative officer,Leigh Plessner, about town in Havaianas’ classic Brazil flip-flops. Plessner takes them out of town, too — at the beach, she wears these withnightgownsor a housecoat over aswimsuitwhen the sun’s out and with silk dresses after sunset. The logo — a flag of Brazil — is a little “silly and winky” when paired with her more formal outfits, she says.

Donni’sAlyssa Wasko Steingoes for Locals, as noticed by the editors ofSecret Strategist. Stein got her first pair of Locals in Hawaii at the tender age of 12. “I loved them because no one knew what they were,” she says. She reacquainted herself with the brand three or four years ago and now has five pairs, includingclear, red,green and white,black with green, and cobalt blue. “I clearly have a problem,” she adds. Her husband has a few pairs as well.

This version of the Lily by Tkees features a square toe and crocodile-embossed leather. They “appear slightly more elevated” than the regular Lily, says Strategist writerBrenley Goertzen. Still, you can imagine wearing them poolside. Maybe that’s why she brings them on all kinds of tropical vacations. “They rinse off super-easily from sand and dirt,” she says. And “they feel so nice underfoot.”

A.Emery’s Kintos are “as dressed up as flip-flops can be,” saysJoanna Fu, New York correspondent forVogueHong Kong. (I believe I also sawMagasin’s Laura Reilly in apairon Instagram.) They remind me of vintage Jil Sander and look good even with non-pedicured toes. It’s mythird summerin a row wearing them. Just as Fu promised, they’re “considerably comfortable.” Strategist updates coordinatorNajwa Jamalhas “logged hundreds of miles in them with nary a blister or shred of discomfort, while looking more polished than I would in, say, Havaianas.” Last year, Jamal traveled with them to Amalfi and Positano, a trip that involved “clobbering cobblestones, climbing miles of stairs, and getting lost on winding streets.”

Many Strategist editors have a favoriteCamper sandal; senior editorAilbhe Malone’s is the Oruga. She says her first pair “lasted three summers of tough wear — from aweddingweekendin Toulouse to endless mind-numbingly long walks with astrollerand two weeks of traveling slowly east from Budapest to northern Transylvania.” (Malone is now on her second pair, which she gotin 2023.) “LikeBirkenstocks, they have a natural cork sole so they don’t smell sweaty, but unlike Tevas, the outsole is a kind of platform made from EVA,” she says. “The result is a supremely comfortable shoe that lasts a long time and leans heavily on the luxe end of sporty-luxe.”

Not to be confused with Montbell’sSock-On Sandalsare the Lock-Ons, which have a backstrap. WriterAlexis Cheungdiscovered them last year on a trip to Boulder, Colorado, or “the mecca of outdoor gear,” as she calls it. You could wear them for any active excursion, “though I’d personally never hike in them,” Cheung says. Plus they “pack down into nothing.” Just recently, she took them to a wet room at a spa.

Abena Anim-Somuah, who writes the newsletterYour Friend in Food, picked up Ancient Greek Sandals’ Alcyone on a trip to Greece some summers ago and has packed them for nearly every vacation since, taking them from European cities to the African countryside. “Sometimes they’ll be the only dressy shoes I pack for a summer vacation,” she says. She only wishes tying them weren’t “a wee bit cumbersome.” Her friend jokingly nicknamed them her Mesopotamia 11s (they’re Ancient Greek Sandals, after all).

Similarly, Ancient Greek Sandals’ Eleftheria have been a “faithful travel companion” toVictoria Filippini, the content creator behind the newsletterTaking Notes. This has included going to cottages in Canada and through the south of France. “They’ve been with me for vacations without much walking and for heavy sightseeing trips in equal measure,” she says. Even as someone whose feet swell in the heat, she hasn’t ever gotten a blister from these. “I’ve worn them so much my toes are literally imprinted into the soles,” Filippini tells me. Like the Alcyone, above, the Eleftheria can initially be tricky to put on. Eventually, they should stretch enough that you’ll be able to slide them right on, as she does now.

Simply cut with crossover straps and a toe post, Ancient Greek Sandals’ Kansiz are “barely noticeable when worn yet immediately missed when switched out,” saysTanya Gonzalez, co-founder ofEauso Vert. Gonzalez credits this to their thoughtful construction: “Some sandals snag the back of heels and cause blisters. These don’t and stay close to the foot so you don’t have to worry about them slipping out of place.” (They don’t make “that annoying flip-flop sound,” either, she says.) Gonzalez should know — one of her pairs survived a year of traveling, from a bachelorette party in Greece to a wedding in India. In the other pair, she danced for hours at her own wedding (which happened to be a four-day event).

Our senior editorSimone Kitchensowns nearly “every kind of plasticky, rubbery summery sandal” — Birkenstocks EVAs, Teva Hurricanes,Plasticanas, Crocs,Salt Waters— but they all have their limits. Mary-Kate Olsen’sTeva Voya Infinity, “with their adjustable bungee-cord straps, quickly revealed themselves to work in all kinds of warm-weather situations: trips to the pool, morning walks, puttering around in the garden, sudden downpours,” says Kitchens.

“I’ve worn them through countless thunderstorms since you don’t need to worry about getting them wet,” agrees Krooss. “Though they won’t save your foot from mysterious subway/sidewalk puddle exposure.” Aisha Joshi, an editor atProduce Partiesand the writer of theBabyteethnewsletter, can walk in them all day without getting achy feet. Her pair, which she has had for two years, survived adventures in Ischia, Malta, Rome, and Barbados. (Not to mention daily trips to her sixth-floor walk-up.)

More so than Tevas or Chacos, Merry People’s Lochies “feel very cool Brooklyn mom” to Zoë Sessums, writer of the newsletterArchive of Everything. But they’re as sporty as anyUniversal. “I’ve worn them on a hilly dirt trail. I’ve worn them to a bumping art-gallery opening in Maine summer. I’ve worn them on a rainy evening with a rain jacket in tow,” Sessums says. At a recent Mass MoCA music festival, they did a lot of “standing on grass, standing on cement, standing in lines, standing in the museum,” she adds. “I remember looking down at my feet — on day two, after eight hours of more or less being on my feet — and thinking,Wow, these are so unbelievably comfortable.” Be mindful that they may run small: Sessums is usually a size 7, and the 37justfits.

“These actually have the opposite problem comfort-wise than other flatter sandals do: They have quite an articulated arch, which I now love but can be a bit jarring at first,” warns Krooss. Yet the “substantial footbed keeps your feet elevated” and “doesn’t look too heavy with the isolated toe loop at the front of the shoe.”

“I hate to use the cliché that these can be dressed up or down, but they really can,” says Wirtes. “They feel kind of Row-Khaite-Totême to me.” In fact, they’re so nice she got them twice — first in red for her birthday last March and then recently in black. Wirtes appreciates that “the straps thread through that metal ball in a snug but moveable way, meaning you can allow more or less room for your big toes.” (With nary a blister, either.) There’s no “precariousness of sandal straps that feel like they’re about to snap at any moment,” she adds. Anim-Somuah also has a pair and says she feels “protected” by them — especially impressive since “living in New York City, they’ve seen the best and the worst.”

Strategist writerKitty Guolearned aboutOesh shoesfrom a Reddit thread of “somewhat stylish orthopedic footwear.” “Based upon the world’s most sophisticated human-movement science,” as the brand claims, the Athenas have never given Guo any trouble — “not one blister, sore, or friction burn,” she says — and have been her “vacation shoes” for years. In 2024, they even went on holiday to Disney World, where they logged 20,000 steps a day for an entire week, per her step-counting app.

Senior editorHilary Reidwas turned on to Margaux’s Flat style six years ago and has been wearing them ever since. She told me the padded footbed prevents her from having “dreaded hot heels” on longer jaunts, and she has walked in them all over the city in addition to trips to Jamaica and Italy. “They look right in just about every setting,” Reid says. And while her tan pair from six years ago is still in pretty good shape, she’s considering buying a fresh pair of the same for this summer.

It has become an annual tradition for cookbook author andDevournewsletter writerOdette Williamsto replace her pair of these simple, thin-strapped sandals each summer with exactly the same style — she wears them that much. The design, with a strap around the ankle and another across the toes, endears them to her as “great day-to-night shoes,” she says. And though the brand’s site notes these sandals start out stiff, Williams assures me they take a day to break in, max.

“I typically start every spring the same way: scouring the internet for fisherman sandals. It’s my unofficial marker of the season,” writes Strategist contributorAngela Tafoya. “They feel like a European vacation on foot.” This year, Tafoya’sexhaustive fisherman huntturned up Rothy’s. Her first impression was that “they’re the kind of shoe you could easily toss into a suitcase for a summer trip without thinking twice.” In no small part thanks to the brand’s signature machine-washable knit made from recycled plastic bottles, there’s no leather to break in. Unlike other fishermans she has tried, Tafaoya says, these are “immediately comfortable.”

Oset Babür-Winter, founder of Prix Fixe, adds, “They honestly don’t have any break-in time, in my opinion.” The most steps she has taken in them was exactly 13,832 in Mexico City, where the sidewalks, she says, “are an experience — a lot of uneven surfaces and opportunities to twist an ankle.” They kept her “going without a single face-plant.” Corsillo says she can runall over New York Cityin them: “to the playground and through sprinklers with my 3-year-old son, to the office with dresses and linen pants, to grab a quick coffee in the morning, and on a night out at the movies with my husband.”

Last summer, we calledKeenNewports the newTevaVoya Infinities —and this summer,we’re not over them. (Not too long ago, I caughtIsabelle Conner, a VP of integrated marketing at Skinfix, in agingham pair.) “The Newports are perhaps a podiatric improvement on the Voya Infinities in that they provide more traction,” Ro speculates. She says she first noticed them in a post from Parisian store Rendez-Vous, “only to realize they’re the adult version of thesandals my kids wear. Somehow, the monochrome, tactical look registered completely differently.”

Leonora Epstein, who’s behind the design SubstackSchmatta, has been wearing Hunter’s Belah sandals not only on the “scorching pavement in Palm Springs” this summer but on the “grassy lawn of the Gamble House” — and they’re coming with her to Maine next. “I’ve literally worn them every day and no blisters yet,” she says. Thanks to the Velcro closures, they’re secure, while the rubber isn’t “super-plasticky” and the sole is “buoyant, giving you a nice pep in your step.”

Plasticanas are “a surprisingly practical summer city shoe,” says our writerKatherine Gillespie. “They’re waterproof. They’re grippy. They have a closed toe box.” The hemp plastic also qualifies them as “obviously great for the beach, especially if you find yourself on a rocky European one” where going barefoot isn’t recommended. While Gillespie easily suffers from blistering, she was able to wear these right out of the box (after taking the advice of a Salter House sales associate and going up a size). They were also more comfortable than Filippini expected them to be. On a weekend in Niagara, “they were the perfect shoe for farmers’-market trips, wine tastings, café runs, and lounging poolside,” she says. AndProduce PartiesfounderSarah Teichaffectionately refers to them as “my little Plasticana jellies.” You can get them in manyshoppy shopsif they’re sold out online. (Teich got hers at Portland’sthe Post Supply.)

[Editor’s note: Most sizes are currently sold out, but you can sign up to receive a notification email when yours is back in stock.]

There’s “some witchy orthopedic magic happening” with the Boomer, Rosenbloom says. “I’ve walked ten miles in the city and never gotten a blister or a foot cramp.” You’re not clinging to the shoe with your toes as you would with a slide, either. It combines the fisherman with the flat-form for a sandal that’s “buoyed by a protective sole,” adds Guo. Her feet feel more shielded from “glass, gum, and general street grime,” too.

Elizabeth Cardinal Tamkin, author of theCorner Boothnewsletter and content director atKule, doesn’t like to show her toes all that often. Still, she says K.Jacques’ Adriens are “kind of like theloaferof sandals, if you will,” keeping her feet covered for the most part. They’ve been in her sandal rotation for three years. “The only reason Iwouldn’twear them is because I sometimes end up wearing them too much,” she tells me. But the more worn they get, the better. And creative consultantJoyce Lee, a K.Jacques customer for over 20 years, just bought another style, theAnaelle. It’ll be her fifth or sixth pair: “I keep them forever because the sole and footbed last and wear in so nicely.”

“The sturdiest, most comfortable sandals” thatEmilia Petrarca, author of the newsletterShop Rat, has are Hereu’s Pescas. “I’m sure I saw other people wearing them, but what sealed the deal for me was how soft the leather was,” she says. “You can just tell they’re super well made.” Pockros agrees: “They’re a higher price point, but it’s amazing quality leather and there’s no break-in required.” They’re easy to style in different ways, too. “They’re a little ‘dorkier,’ I would say, but that’s what I like about them,” Petrarca says. “They’re thicker and chunkier, but I think they can be girly.” Pockros calls them “totally work appropriate” as well.

[Editor’s note: The company lists prices in euros, so this is an approximation to U.S. dollars as of publication time.]

Anim-Somuah thinks this high-shine version of the Arizona “looks more chic as they develop more of a patina.” Bathen co-founderHannah Zismansays she could even get away with wearing them to weddings in Maine, the Hamptons, and Whistler.

Initially, photographerAshley Serynwent with these Birkenstocks to get through a Mediterranean trip. Over the years, they have been everything from Muay Thai training slides in Thailand to beachwear in Los Angeles.

Seen in a recent installment ofSecret Strategistare stylistLaura Ferrara’s Crocs. Ferrara first found these Crocs for a photo shoot and then decided to wear them herself. They’re easy to hose down. “New York City in the summer is so yucky, but there are all these hydrants that are open so I just put my feet in them,” she says. They have even been confused for The Row and a Givenchy knockoff.

AsSecret Strategistreports, art directorTessa Watson, curatorLisa Rybovich Crallé, and prop stylistMaggie Lindseyall haveOkabashis. Watson describes them as “regular-schmegular granny plastic sides,” with Crallé originally finding them at the local CVS near her South Florida high school in the ’90s, and Lindsey at a Walgreens in San Francisco. Lindsey thinks they’re “the perfect set shoe, pool shoe, around-the-house shoe.”

The first friend in Rosenbloom’s circle to own a pair of Beatrice Valenzuela’s Sandalias wasHerman Millercreative directorKelsey Keith. Keith has them in teal, while Rosenbloom goes toRhoanfor the store’s rainbow of colors (amethyst,rum,shell). “Any color goes with any outfit somehow,” she says.

These sandals are what Zisman takes on tropical vacations — they’ve seen Tulum and Palm Springs, with Maui next on the list. “They’re like elevated Tevas but still comfortable,” she says. The bandanna print is surprisingly versatile and adds some punch to the colorful linen dresses and matching shorts sets Zisman packs.

The Restfeels from Lululemon have what Cheung describes as a “cloudlike puffiness,” between the cushioning in the sole, the supercomfortable foam-lined strap, and the heel-to-toe rubber traction.

Originally from Hawaii, Cheung grew up wearing “Jesus sandals,” or Jandals as they’re properly called. “They’re great for beach days, because they’re waterproof, and for traveling, because they flatten into nothing,” she says. While they don’t have a ton of arch support, Cheung says her feet have never hurt even “after pounding the pavement” in them. Also appealing: the low price (if you’re in Hawaii, you can find them atABC convenience stores). “If they break down, you don’t feel bad about rebuying,” Cheung explains. “But I have friends whose pairs are ancient.”

According to Reid, these slides are comfortable to wear straight out of the box with no blisters even after the first few wears. Notably, she adds, they have a surprisingly cushy footbed and somewhat of anHermès Oranair (without looking like a blatant knockoff).

“The idea of wearing sandals on the sidewalk or the subway and having my bare toes exposed to God knows what is horrifying,” says brand consultantKatie Stone. “But sometimes sandals are necessary, especially when it’s 90-plus degrees out and the thought of putting on socks is unimaginable.” Her compromise is this Teva, which has enough height “to separate my bare feet from the disgustingness of the street.” The extra inch also gives her license to “wear them in slightly more formal settings — dinners, happy hours — where regular Tevas would not be appropriate.” Better yet, she says, they’re “quite cushiony without looking geriatric — no offense.” Similarly, Strategist writerAmelia Jerdensays she wears them “to not overly formal restaurants and bars, for walking around shopping, and even for running errands.”

Convinced by an installment of Becky Malinsky’snewsletter, Jill Singer, co-founder and editor ofSight Unseenand writer of the newsletterCounter Space, got Taos’ Super Z to “approximate new Phoebe Philo,” for cheap. So far, they have traveled with her to Copenhagen for3daysofdesignand Milan. But she hasn’t “really abused them” (except subjecting them to “one of the hottest days in New York” recently). Instead, she prefers to wear them “as a comfortable fancy shoe, like with a sheer black No.6 blouse and a poufy skirt.”

You might never guess these wedges are from Crocs — a big selling point for Strategist writerBella Druckman, who was searching for a pair that could stand up to the city streets while still looking put-together. The shoes are especially easy to clean. “Even if they get dirty, they won’t stay that way for long,” Druckman says. The platform also gives her a few inches without making them difficult to walk in.

Strategist senior editorWinnie Yanghas logged miles with these Keens while hiking, restaurant-hopping in the Hamptons, and traversing concrete and cobblestoned streets across cities. The secure straps and grippy soles made them supportive and comfortable right from the beginning. “They’re easy to get on and off, and they have a little height to them, which gives my feet, or maybe just my mind, that critical distance from grimy sidewalks and subway floors,” Yang says. The sandals also don’t call attention to themselves — a fact she appreciates as she’s not one to get apedicure.

Just like Tevas, the Flower Mountain Kaiso Sandals have an “outdoorsy spirit, but they feel more honest about where they’re going: out on the Brooklyn pavement, into coffee lines, and absolutely nowhere near an actual trail,” saysMerie Subryan, an interior stylist and design consultant. “They’ve come with me to a Two Trees event at Jane’s Carousel, across Dumbo’s cobblestones, to a garden sale in Brooklyn Heights, and on a trip to the Met. So far, they have handled a very specific mix of city terrain and cultural programming.” But the worst thing they’ve survived is subway rush hour, which she describes as a “legitimate stress test for any shoe.”

[Editor’s note: Subryan has the Flower Mountain Kaiso in limited-edition carmine blue, but it’s also available inchalkandbrickon Toast’s U.S. site.]

These were previously mentioned in our “What’s Everyone Buying at Gap Right Now?” guide. ForSalena LeDonne, a content strategist and writer of the newsletterSincerely Salena, they “feel a bit more substantial underfoot” than other jelly styles: “They’re actually more stiff than I expected, which works to their advantage as they feel sturdy and durable.” Since they’re not “completely flat,” they “offer more of a barrier between my feet and the streets,” she adds. But they do require patience to get to their most comfortable. Once, LeDonne “reached for an emergency Band-Aid for the top of my foot out of caution.” I haven’t had the same experience, but I would say they need a few wears just to getmorecomfortable.

There_y0u_are’s Talia Mayden did a whole series on finding “chic city summer sandals” last year, and the winner was the Dana from Camper. “I want my toes out in the summer. Sue me,” says Mayden. “It’s difficult, however, to find a walkable sandal that isn’t straight-up orthopedic.” But the Dana’s crisscross front “anchors the shoe to your foot (no toe scrunching necessary), so the heel strap is mostly a formality.” And it’s “inconspicuous enough not to torpedo” your outfit. “Don’t make me say it, but fine, I’ll say it …they’re very ’90s.Comfortable enough that I did a whole Sunday in Red Hook with my two kids in these,” saysWallStreet Journalart editorAlexandra Citrin-Safadi. Mayden, for her part, has taken her Danas everywhere from “Tashkent market in Brighton Beach to Le Marais in Paris.”

Citrin-Safadi admits she “did something insane” in acquiring a pair of Kork-Ease’s Avas recently: “I have not owned Kork-Ease since college, when I would pair them with tiny denim cutoffs and somehow believe this was an appropriate thing to wear to an internship in a media office — it was not, but it was also 2007 so maybe it was. Now, I am once again wearing them to a media office but with a tasteful linen maxi skirt and sleeveless shell. I have grown.” Just as originally advertised, they’re as comfortable as she remembers.

JournalistEliza Dumaisconsiders herself “the least heel-oriented person I’ve ever met.” But, she adds, “I don’t look as if I’m learning to walk for the very first time when I wear these heels.” She has managed dancing at a wedding, walking through a bocce court, and “Saturdays where you make six different plans with six different people and kid yourself into believing you can attend them all successfully.” (They leave blisters only “in instances of pushing my body beyond its rational limits, so not sure who’s to blame there,” she cautions.) They can “make the least put-together outfits feel like, well, outfits. We’re talking soccer shorts and tank tops, jorts with T-shirts, requisiteKnicks paraphernalia, etc.,” she says.

Lily-Rose Depp’s GermanWörishofersare a favorite of “bunion-prone European nonnas and Brooklyn hipster moms alike,” writes Petrarca. “Michelle Williams, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Kirsten Dunstall wore them in the 2010s, prompting theDaily Mailto ask, ‘Are Wörishofers the new Crocs?’”

A recent find for writerJo Rosenthalis this thong-strap wedge that “gives a stepmom-in-Florida-who-drinks-Chardonnay-at-lunch energy, and I mean that in the best way,” she says. “They work perfectly for strutting around the city like I’m about to cut the line everywhere I go passive-aggressively.”

Reid ordered the Evelyn from Tuckernuck early last summer because “elegant, strappy, low-heeled sandals that are not a bazillion dollars can be hard to come by.” She says they’re now among her favorite “city sandals” despite “being pretty strappy and minimal”: “The very low block heel adds a little support for tromping around, and the straps don’t rub or cause blisters the way thin straps typically do.” Also important, they break in pretty quickly (though there was some rubbing on her first wear). But it’s a small price to pay as they “go with virtually anything. They’re just perfectly simple and look like they could be from anywhere,” she says.

“They can go from a wedding to a dive bar easily,” saysMarie K. Stotz, a filmmaker and 99 Minutes founder, of MNZ’s Palma sandal. (Stotz has a now-sold-out low-heel version of the Palma, so I’ve linked to the high-heeled version here.) “They’re an interesting classic shape, which to me means they exist outside of the trend cycle without being boring.” Having had them since 2018, she has resoled them a couple of times. “They actually didn’t survive my birthday party one year, when one of the heels broke off. I managed for the rest of the night and got them repaired the next week,” she says, adding that you might consider taking them to your cobbler for a rubber sole “if you’re a big walker like me.”

“These feel like the grown-up version of a pair of Reef sandals I had as a teenager,” says journalistHannah Benson. But they may be even better: “They’re not too high to walk at a quicker pace to run to, say, an afternoon movie screening or a patio hang with my dearest friends, where I’ll think to myself,Even with age, maybe the magic of summer never really leaves.” Plus they have a “snap to them — like any good thong sandal — so when you’re on a mission, everyone knows.” She regularly wears them to the grocery store in search of tricolor Popsicles and mint chocolate-chip ice cream.

Chloe Weitman, founder ofYeah It’s Jewelry, wears these ’90s-style Steve Madden platforms when it’s too hot in Los Angeles to think about putting onsocks. They’re nostalgic, though more comfortable than the pair you had in high school thanks to the very stretchy upper.

Dr. Scholl’s sandals had a somewhat recent moment whenSarah Jessica Parkerwore them while filmingAnd Just Like That …But they well predate the buzz — in fact, they’ve been around since 1959. “They were originally coined the ‘exercise’ sandal for a reason. The design of the shoe really puts your calves to work,” saysShelby Ying Hyde, a writer who has contributed to The Cut,Vogue, andHarper’s Bazaar, who notes her legs got a workout in these when she took them to Miami for Swim Week and poolside in Los Cabos.

Strategist writerTembe Denton-Hursttipped creative strategistCarrie Carrollooff to Camper’s Twin sandals. Carrollo was intrigued by their “contrasting silhouettes, each a different organic shape — sisters, not twins, contrary to the name,” she says. It didn’t hurt that they had the “lowest of block heels” for a little lift. They’re easy to move in, too, according to Carrollo: “I have almost wide, almost flat feet and find some shoes with this type of construction too narrow, but these are perfect.”

“It has been a few years since I found a strappy sandal this stylistically flexible and not vintage. RIP to when you could get gently used Manolos for under $100 on the RealReal,” Citrin-Safadi tells me. These are among the cheapest here, at under $150. Citrin-Safadi was “pleasantly surprised by the quality” of these initially (especially since another pair of Vagabonds she owned broke while she was walking down Calyer Street a decade ago). And even more so now: “This being my second consecutive summer with these sandals is notable as I usually destroy sandals after one season. It’s a testament to their quality.”