Sandals, Sorted: Flat Slides, Kitten Heels, Platforms and Wedges

Sandals, Sorted: Flat Slides, Kitten Heels, Platforms and Wedges

A field guide to sandals in three groups: flat slides and thong sandals, heeled pairs, and platforms and wedges. I name the shapes I would reach for and the ones I would leave on the shelf.

The oldest shoes anyone has dated directly are sandals. The University of Oregon's Museum of Natural and Cultural History says the Fort Rock-style pairs were made roughly 10,200 to 9,300 years ago, and they were found in an Oregon cave in 1938 by the archaeologist Luther Cressman. I like starting there because it reminds me that a few straps and a sole are about as old as footwear gets. Everything below is a variation on that idea.

 

So here is my honest point of view on sandals: sort them by shape before you sort them by brand. A flat slide, a heeled strappy pair and a platform are three different tools, and most of the regret I have seen in fitting rooms comes from buying the wrong tool for the day. This first group is the flat one.

 

Start with the slides. The Birkenstock Arizona Slide Sandals are the plain, two-strap shape that looks right with straight jeans and a white shirt. The Steve Madden Hadyn Slide Sandals and the Vince Vilma Leather Slide Sandals are the dressier cousins, the kind I would put under a trench and wide trousers. The Stuart Weitzman Sai Leather Slide Sandals sit in that same quiet lane.

 

Then the more interesting ones. The Stuart Weitzman Mary Kate Ankle-Strap Thong Sandals mix a thong front with an ankle strap, so they stay put on a long walk. The Sam Edelman Rillie stone-embellished flat sandals are the pair for a slip dress. The Tory Burch Kira Padded Flip Flop Sandals, the Tommy Hilfiger Bennia Flat Thong Sandals and the MICHAEL Mandy Logo Slingback Thong Sandals cover the thong side. The Veronica Beard Via Leather Slide Sandals are the plain black pair I would take to a hotel pool, and the Rosetta Ankle Tie Sandals tie at the ankle like a ballet ribbon, which I like with a short hem.

 

The fitting-room test for any flat pair: stand still and look down. Your toes should sit inside the edge of the sole, and your heel should not hang over the back.

A collage of flat slides, kitten heel and stiletto sandals, platforms and wedges, and a mood photo of a woman in jeans and black strappy heeled sandals on a velvet bench.
Flat slides, heeled pairs and platforms, gathered in one place.

Flat sandals and slides

Heeled, from kitten to stiletto

Now we go up. A heeled pair changes how a whole outfit stands, and it is the quickest way to make jeans look dressed. I would sort this group by height first, because that decides when you would wear it.

 

The kitten heel is the easy entry. The Coach Margot Slip-On Kitten Heel pair is a slide with a little lift, and the Tommy Hilfiger Lanis Criss-Cross Kitten Heel pair adds straps across the foot. Both go with a midi skirt and a tucked-in tee. The Jil Sander Cage medium-heel pair is the minimalist option, and it is the one I would wear with tailoring and nothing else going on.

 

The Sam Edelman trio shows how one brand can cover three moods. The Fletcher braided raffia heeled pair is the warm-weather one, the Fletcher Strappy pair is the evening one, and the Clarra Strappy pair sits in between. I like that you can pick by occasion rather than by logo.

 

Then the sharper end. The Naturalizer Asha Stiletto Strappy pair and the I.N.C. International Concepts Basaaria Stiletto pair are the thin-heel shapes, best for dinners where you will mostly sit. The Diesel D-Cocco Ankle-Wrap Heeled pair in Brown and the Paloma Wool Anastasia Heeled pair in Brown both wrap the ankle and look good against a slip dress or bare legs.

 

Cult Gaia brings the sculptural end. The Sierra pair sits on a little kitten heel, the Bambu pair is the gold one, and the Soriah pair and the Mahina Leather Slip On pair are the ones I would save for evening, worn with a plain dress so the heel does the talking.

 

The Fendi 90mm logo-plaque pair is the one with a name on it, and the heel is stated right there in the title. My test for any heeled pair is to check where the strap sits against your ankle bone, and make sure the heel is steady when you stand on one foot.

Heeled sandals

Height, with a platform or a wedge

Platforms are where the shape gets playful, and the history is better than you would guess. The Met says the chopine, a high-platformed shoe especially popular among Venetian women, was developed in the early sixteenth century, and that it was built thick-soled to protect the foot from irregularly paved, wet or muddy streets. A famous Italian shoemaker patented the cork wedge in 1938, according to his own company. So lifting the whole foot is not a trend from last week. It is an old habit with a long record.

 

In this group, the Steve Madden Arwen Platform Slip-On Slide is the closest thing to a flat slide, only with extra height, so it is the easiest one to start with. The Madden Girl Woodlandd Platform Block-Heel pair and the Jessica Simpson Cynlia Platform Slip-On pair keep the shape chunky and casual. The Jessica Simpson Caulira Crossband Platform pair adds a band across the top that reads sharper with a short hem.

 

For a cleaner look, the Alexandre Birman Amy platform pair is the one I would style with tailoring. The FREYA ROSE Margot ankle-strap platform pair gives you a strap that keeps the foot in place, and the Veronica Beard Halifax 2 Studded Platform pair adds studs along the platform. The Veronica Beard Pasina and Phylina espadrille wedges are the ones I would wear with a summer dress.

 

What I would skip: a platform with wide-leg trousers that drag, because the hem will catch the edge of the sole. Also skip a first wear on a long day out. Put the pair on at home and stand in them for a while before you commit.

Platform and wedge sandals

How I pick a pair

So, how do I pick. I start with the day. A flat slide is for errands and the pool, a kitten heel is for the office or lunch, a thin heel is for dinner, and a platform is for the days you want height without a stiletto.

 

Then I run three quick tests. Bend a flat thong pair end to end: the American Podiatric Medical Association says a good pair should bend at the ball of the foot, not fold in half. Check that the strap sits snug against the foot and nothing rubs. And look at your outfit in a mirror from the side, because the shoe is half of that line.

 

One more habit: the American Podiatric Medical Association recommends a sturdy flip-flop around public pools, beaches, hotel rooms and locker rooms, since bare soles in those places can pick up plantar warts and athlete's foot. It also advises against flip-flops for long walks. So keep the thong pairs for the poolside and choose a strapped pair for the rest. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Prada Sandals for Women and Coach Sandals Women Love.

Big numbers collage of six sandal shapes: a velvet flat slide, a croc flip flop, a kitten heel, a high heel, a raffia platform and an espadrille wedge.
Six shapes, from a flat slide to a wedge.