6.24.2014

In Praise of Flip Flops




Summer is a manifesto on how to take your time with no deeds to do, no promises to keep, musings and daydreams, and Proustian reveries that, if we are lucky, could take all afternoon.


Flip flops are the quintessential sign that summer has come at last. They evoke the careless freedom that brings back childhood summers of cherry raspas (shaved ice),  the sharp chlorine scent of city pools, and the mystery of fire flies on dark lawns.  Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch on the AM radio because we can't help ourselves.


Don't try and make them something they are not or you will spoil the whole thing: I rarely wear them anywhere but home, the pool or beach, an impromptu visit with a neighbor, a quick cycle to the grocery with shorts or a summer skirt.  I buy them in bright colors and keep them in a basket by the door and clean them with alcohol once a week. 


And please note: I am talking only of the lowly flip flop not the - horror of horrors! -  tarted up versions with rhinestones, baubles, ribbons, and other "whimsies." I cannot fathom such an ugly impulse. 

My other all-time favorite summer shoes?



Saltwaters. I bought these leather sandals for my children when they were young, and they wore them as adults when they became the darling of the hipster set.  I love them because they are cute and indestructible. I can wear them to the beach or muddy them in the community garden, clean them up with the garden hose and wear them with a summer dress to an outdoor movie. Really, they are very cute.






Tuto on Etsy  I cannot buy enough of these handmade sandals in different styles and colors. They are dressy and sexy.




And what I lusting for right this minute is the Ankle Wrap Italian Sandal from Everlane. Handsome, yes?