Category: Sliders

The mistake is treating sliders as one thing, grabbing whichever pair is nearest the till and assuming they'll all feel the same by the school run or the supermarket car park. They don't. A flat foam sole that felt fine for two minutes in the shop can turn into something closer to standing on a pavement in socks by the time you've done a full afternoon in it.
If you've got none, start plain. A two strap slide in a simple cross or single wide band, with a footbed that's actually shaped rather than dead flat, will go further than anything fussy with buckles or embellishment, because it slips on for the bins, works with a swimsuit, and still looks deliberate with trousers rolled up for a walk round the block. Black and a mid tan cover almost everything you own, a white pair looks sharp against bare legs for about a fortnight before the sole picks up every bit of pavement it's touched, and I say that as someone who still buys white every summer and is disappointed every single time. A soft grey or a stone colour hides the dirt better than either and still looks clean with denim.
Fit is where most people go wrong twice over. Sliders should sit close through the strap with your foot flat, not loose enough to flap at the heel when you walk, because a slider that flaps has stopped being a shoe and started being a hazard on stairs. Go up half a size from your usual trainer if the brand runs narrow across the toes, and always try them with the sock or bare foot you'll actually wear them with, not whatever you've got on in the shop, because a slider that's perfect over thin socks can feel tight and nasty on a hot bare foot by midday. Watch the strap width too, a narrow strap on a wide foot will dig in across the top within a week, which nobody tells you until you're wincing at your own front door.
The difference between a pair that lasts and one that doesn't is mostly in things you can't see on the rail. A proper moulded footbed with some give in it beats a flat slab every time, stitching or a bonded seam that doesn't fray at the strap edge within a month matters more than how shiny the finish looks under shop lighting, and a sole with some actual tread will save you on a wet garden path in a way a smooth one never will. Press the strap with your thumb before you buy, if it feels hollow or papery, put it back.
Start with the tan.
Picked by Nadia Okafor. More in Sandals.