Women's Sandals Guide

Sandals are the oldest footwear design in the world and still the most liberating: a sole, some straps, and feet finally out in the summer air. The modern family runs from rubber flip-flops and leather slides to contoured walking sandals, wedges, espadrilles and strappy heeled styles that anchor evening outfits. Choosing among them is about matching openness, support and formality to the day ahead.

Sandals also expose the foot completely, so fit and construction show their effects fast - a strap that is slightly wrong becomes a blister by lunch. This guide introduces the main sandal families, how warm-weather fit differs from closed shoes, what real support looks like in an open shoe, the materials that survive sun and water, simple care, and choosing sandals for travel, when one pair must do everything.

The Sandal Families

Flat sandals are the summer staple: slides that slip on in a second, thong sandals, strappy leather styles and gladiator designs that lace up the ankle. Sport and walking sandals add contoured footbeds, adjustable straps and lugged soles for trails, travel and long days of sightseeing. Flip-flops are the minimal end of the family - fine for pool, beach and shower, poor for distance.

Height arrives through wedges, which lift the whole foot on a stable wedge of cork, rope or wood and suit grass far better than stilettos; platform sandals, which add height with a flatter pitch; and heeled sandals, from block-heeled day styles to the strappy evening pairs covered in the dress shoe guide. Espadrilles pair canvas uppers with braided jute soles for a distinctly Mediterranean summer look.

Warm-Weather Fit

Feet swell in heat, sometimes by half a size across a hot day, so fit sandals in the afternoon and allow a small margin: the foot should sit fully on the footbed with no toes or heel hanging over the edge, and straps should hold the foot without being done up to their last hole in the shop. Adjustable straps are worth seeking out precisely because summer feet change size between morning and evening.

Straps are where sandals succeed or fail. They should cross the foot at points that do not coincide with bones and bunions, lie flat without twisting, and keep the heel from sliding sideways on the footbed - a wandering heel is the usual cause of the classic sandal slap and of sore calves. Walk in the shop, turn, and climb a step if you can; a sandal that only behaves standing still will misbehave all summer.

Support in an Open Shoe

A flat rubber sole offers the foot nothing, and wearing unsupportive sandals for long days is a common cause of summer heel and arch pain. Better sandals build in a contoured footbed: a raised arch, a defined heel cup and sometimes a metatarsal pad, moulded in cork, EVA or memory foam. Cork footbeds famously mould to your individual footprint over the first weeks of wear, becoming more comfortable the longer you own them.

For serious walking, look for the features of a good shoe in sandal form: a sole thick enough to blunt stones, a slight rocker that helps the stride, straps that fix the foot at heel, ankle and forefoot, and materials that tolerate getting wet. Reserve the thinnest fashion sandals for short, gentle outings and let a supportive pair carry the sightseeing days - your feet will file the difference under summer remembered fondly.

Materials, Care and the Travel Pair

Leather straps soften and mould with wear but should be kept out of prolonged soaking; synthetic and webbing straps shrug off water entirely and suit beach and trail. Cork footbeds need occasional sealing and should dry slowly, away from direct heat, after a soaking. A quick brush or wipe after wear, a day of rest between outings, and prompt attention to loose stitching or lifting sole edges keep sandals serviceable for several summers.

If one pair must travel, choose a supportive, adjustable sandal in a neutral leather or webbing that dresses up passably for dinner: it will walk all day, survive a beach, and not embarrass a sundress. Pack that pair, wear your bulkiest shoes on the plane, and let the flip-flops stay home unless the trip is truly all sand.