Straddling the divide between style staple and style sin, the sandal, in its many forms, is one of the most polarising pieces in menswear.
The stigma attached to sandals is undeniable and perhaps even warranted after decades of misuse, but with summer dressing a balancing act between practicality and style, they’re arguably the perfect warm-weather shoe: breathable, comfortable and smart.
Not only that, based on the SS17 runways, it seems the industry is determined to make sandals the go-to footwear silhouette for this season. Yet unlike previous years, it’s not just avant-garde gladiator styles that are being pushed this season – the sandal has taken on a more wearable form that should help increase its appeal to the everyday male, one of which, is the fringe sandals.
Let’s create our Style story guys, if you remember, from one of our previous editorials, we talked about the suit and sandals trend, but from a more relaxed angle, and I’m sure we saw how good that looked. We’re taking it a step further in this editorial, not a relaxed outfit, but a dapper and detailed styling of the suit and sandals trend.
There are many ways to style a suit, with proper shoes, which could be Oxfords, Brogues, Loafers and so on ( which our next editorial would address ), but what rule says we can’t style it with sandals too? Fashion is dynamic, daring and creative .. why make it cliche?
More appropriate than slippers, more breathable than boat shoes and arguably more versatile than espadrilles, sandals (particularly leather versions) are a refined choice that can adapt to a wide variety of scenarios, occasions and outfits, for example, when worn with suits.
In this look, I paired the sandals with a navy blue suit, with aso oke detailing and a multicolored neck tie, with the colors, carefully picked to complement themselves. There’s also more to this outfit, which would be spoken about in the next editorial, with an entirely different styling where shoes were used, so that at the end of both editorials, we can begin practical comparison.
Practical, comfortable and now in vogue, it’s hard to argue against the sandal this season.
A more refined and stylish alternative to flip-flops, invest in a timeless leather pair and you’re sure to get good use from them for many more seasons to come.
