Every summer season there is one item of 'fashion' that I dread to see from the catwalk and life alike. The man sandal. I don't know about you, but I never thought they were fashionable nor should they be at all. Like with all things art, clothing is subject to personal preference and for me, I have always opted for shoes. There are different kinds for different seasons, and if the heat finally gets too blistering to bear I would change into flip-flops, but that is it- I choose one or the other. Wooyoungmi's strappy pair aren't actually that bad, but the rest...? I have never been a fan of the sandals because they just strike me as an ugly hybrid borne of a want of something in between slipper and shoe, and while for ladies the sandals come in more aesthetically pleasing incarnations, the male versions just remain unattractive and totally unbecoming. Perhaps part of the reason why I find them unappealing is that, apart from models who probably get mani/pedis before a show, Joe Blogg's feet tend to be either vainly ignored or too hairy, or ultimately just not visually elegant enough to pull off public showcase. These sandals, even Givenchy's metallica pair just evoke a horrible image of the summer dad stereotype- the kind who goes with you to the beach wearing a hideous Hawaiian print shirt, cargo shorts and these sandals...with socks. I think that's a fashion crime, and whenever designers try to sell it as a must have piece of footwear I just think, 'Do people actually buy them?!', and if they do I'm just left bemused. Plus, think of how severely unflattering they are. Even the most lean of legs face the danger of looking like they have cankles. But hey, that's just me. Even though I would dread wearing them, I would choose a pair of Toms any day over these foot-harnesses.
How do you feel about them?
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[images: Showstudio]
