Must have been asked. Million times but flat, non-dowdy sandals that won’t shred my feet?

[sidneytweeney]

Desperate for recommendations, I’ve got some dr marten sandals that give me toe blisters, some Toms sandals that give me blisters on the soles of my feel- anything with a toe bar immediately hurts! Has anyone found a magic sandal?

But surely you understand that most of the people posting these suggestions don't consider them to be "dowdy", whatever that means? It's possible to give your own suggestions and leave the OP or anyone else to judge for themselves the perceived dowdiness of other people's suggestions, surely?

Tevas… they look quite sensible but they’re comfy and loads of my (trendy!) friends wear them and me… I’m not trendy though ha!

I have recommended these so many times on Mumsnet: Blowfish Malibu Granola.

I have them in gold and they are great for walking around for miles as well as looking relatively elegant with a nice dress etc for evening.

www.mandmdirect.com/01/details/IF30030/Blowfish-Womens-Granola-B-Sandals-Tobacco-Multi?aff

Archies flip flops and sliders are fantastic

Slightly embarrassingly Hotter Tourist II Sandals, as the brand is loved by my Mum.
These were affordable, and absolutely comfortable from first wearing.

www.hotter.com/tourist-ii-sandals-black-1698

I have this exact pair and they’re very comfortable. To me they just look like Birkenstocks and a friend asked if I got them from All Saints!

Maybe not, but I at least assumed they weren’t dreadful.

Agreed

@sidneytweeney I see someone has already recommended Anonymous Copenhagen - their shoes are beautiful & comfortable!

Also Air & Grace & Penelope Chilvers (though check their comments on sizing!). I'm also a fan of both Jigsaw & Whistles for their footwear.

Yes, these are actually quite pretty! I bought some hiking sandals from Teva a few years ago, and while they're insanely comfortable and great for actual hiking, they definitely weren't attractive. I've been hunting for replacements this year and wanted something that would look good too, and found the Teva Tirra Travellers. They arrived a few days ago and are perfect! I haven't tried hiking in them yet though...😂

In your opinion.
I hate it when the fashion police come on to Style and Beauty threads to pour cold water on some of the lovely suggestions.

and in the opinion of the OP, who said she wanted something prettier than the Saltwater boardwalks or Gabor Lanzarote that were linked.

https://mintvelvet.com/products/aria-neutral-suede-sandal

Got to agree the hotter ones are pretty shit

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChsSEwir-p_1uOWUAxV1olAGHXyfCzgYACICCAEQERoCZGc&co=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIq_qf9bjllAMVdaJQBh18nws4EAQYAiABEgLxHfD_BwE&sig=AOD64_18CvAxktziy1H-v4jmR6gaVv361Q&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjY5pj1uOWUAxUnXEEAHY-WJpIQwg8oAHoECAsQFQ&adurl=

walked miles on holiday in these- no blisters

@Whowhenwhatweari have these I have worn for the last 4 days I like that they are like walking bear foot

Another vote for Teva original universal.

And - this is probably obvious to most people but took me a couple of years to work out - doing the straps up snugly stops the movement which causes sandals to rub.

Saltwater Boardwalks are so comfortable and last for years. I cannot wear the flat saltwater at all but the thicker soles are amazing.

There has been a lot of sandal discussion and I have come to the conclusion that, when you haven't got socks to be a mediator, it comes down to the shape of your foot, your instep and probably how tolerant/sensitive your feet are! I have narrow feet with a high instep and birkenstocks are perfect. But I also wear the flat saltwater a LOT and DMs Voss 2 in suede (I have tried other DM sandals and they've been very painful - weird as I wear DM boots and shoes all the time). Suede or unstructured leather will rub less. The birkoflor birkenstocks are comfy as they are kind of lined with a soft felt which is very gentle on the skin.

I also have some old teva hurricanes for dog walking and they're comfy too - if you want prettier the Teva slim leather look good.

Much to my surprise, since I find any shoe-buying a real pain, I found these in Clark’s the other day. I have difficult, wide feet - one wider than the other. They are cushioned and very comfortable. Also came in tan leather. Were £60, £10 off in the sale, so formerly £70.

I really like sandals from Fat Face - I’ve now had a couple of pairs from them that have each lasted a few years. I’d suggest having a look on the website or in their shops to see if there’s anything you like.

If you can, might be worth buying a few pairs to pick up in store and try on in the store, and if they don’t fit well or aren’t comfy, you can always return them in store.

@sidneytweeneyI know exactly what you mean. What you’re describing is very hard to find! I’ve now got my eye on the Penelope Chilvers ones someone posted!

I usually end up wearing something like backless loafers because nice sandals are hard to find.

In my experience (and it may depend on foot type), the only shoes I find truly comfortable are leather, and they have to be leather lined as well (not synthetic lined). The European made shoes (Italy/Spain/Portugal) tend to be the most comfortable.

LK Bennett and Russell & Bromley had some great shoes but obviously no longer exist. I think Next bought Russell & Bromley but I don’t know if the quality is as good as I haven’t tried them yet. One brand I’ve been considering and will probably buy is Bobbies. Nice styles and look good quality.

In that case, could it be that there is an inbuilt failiure with the word ‘ dowdy’ as applicable to comfortable footwear.

is it like asking for a dog that doesn’t bark or need walking.

it seems possible that we implicitly agreed that dowdy = pragmatism over form, when we were young/ inexperienced/ locked into pandering to the male gaze.

can we jettison the word dowdy as applicable to footwear? If we do, then we have lots of great sandal options on this thread.

Are you asking whether it's possible to find pretty, stylish, yet comfortable sandals?

The thread the other week concluded not - and sandals are, by their very nature, rank.

None of these are perfect but they meet the “not dowdy” brief. The “insoles” and uppers are all leather which helps enormously for comfort. I’ve never gone wrong with Kurt Geiger in that respect.

I’d probably go for the gold ankle wraps but would remove charms, I also like the rafia

I have these fitflop sandals in three colours. Love them