Flip-Flop Alternatives Part 1
If you have paid any attention to style blogs the last few months, you will have noticed one consistent theme when it comes to footwear: men should not wear flip-flops. I agree wholeheartedly. The only reason to wear flip-flops when you are not near a pool or body of water is because you are an athlete and you are traveling to/from the field of play. For everyone else, flip-flops just aren’t acceptable… even if they are made of leather. Guys feet just look gross (check exhibit A above), and there is nothing wrong with that. There are plenty of other casual options for guys that want to look like grown-ups during the spring and summer months.
The most common style is the boat shoe. A lot of guys, especially in the South, wear boat shoes most of the year and during the spring and summer is probably the most appropriate time. They were made to wear around water, so you can wear them to the pool or lake if you want. They were also made to wear barefoot… so do just that. Since spring and summer are all about being light and airy, try to spice things up. Brown is classic, but Sperry has some killer seasonal options that are available as well. Like these canvas joints:
Canvas is much more breathable in the summer time than leather but don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with wearing leather boat shoes in the summer. I think summer is the perfect time to bust out a pair of Go To Hell (GTH) boat shoes. Think something like these from Cole Haan:
The high gloss finish and burgundy color give the impression of loafers, but the sole and the lacing are 100% boat shoes. When you wear shoes like this, don’t over think them. Rather than trying to match bright colors or perceived dressiness, just wear them like you would a brown boat shoe.
Sperry Authentic Original Canvas Boat Shoe
Another option is the canvas sneaker, in particular the plimsolls. Plimsolls are sneakers with a simple canvas upper and simple rubber sole. Note that I said simple twice. Plimsolls don’t have pumps or air pockets in the sole, they are simple canvas sneakers and they were actually invented to be beachwear. Think Van’s Authentics (what up L.A.S.!). The great thing about plimsolls is they are light, come in many colors and style variants, and you can get them wet or dirty and they will still be cool. If they get a little too funky for you, you can just toss them in the washing machine and they are good as new. They look good with pretty much everything from board shorts to a suit (though sneakers with a suit should only be attempted by professions and GQ writers). You will see a lot of plimsolls at a lot of different prices, but remember while all (most) canvas is created equal all soles are not. While $20 sounds like an awesome deal for men’s sneakers, I would be surprised if they make it through a summer of regular use (4 or more days week) without the sole wearing down substantially. While on the higher end of the price spectrum, J. Crew’s collabo with Seavees is probably my favorite plimsoll out right now:
Unlike boat shoes, where interesting colors, patterns, and materials on classic shoes can look cool, generally speaking over board patters on plimsolls look like kid sneakers (think checker patterns, skulls, neon colors, etc.). Just keep things simple. One look that I have been loving is leather laces in plimsolls:
More summer shoes to come!
