A French Fashion Editor’s Honest Guide to the Only Sandals You Need This Summer

By Eugénie Trochu
Published 16 hours ago

Every summer, I tell myself the same lie. I convince myself that this will be the year I only need one pair of sandals. One simple, sensible, practical pair that will carry me from June to September without complaint. And every summer, I fail spectacularly. Because summer sandals aren’t about necessity. They’re about details. The tomato-red leather that stops you in your tracks. The strap that sparkles a little too much in the afternoon sun. The thick, flat sole that feels vaguely touristy in the best possible way.

I like sandals that tell a slightly contradictory story. A minimalist style worn with a very romantic dress. Beach shoes worn in the city. A pair that’s almost ugly but somehow incredibly sexy on sun-tanned skin. I like sandals that make it seem like you’ve lived through something—even if the only notable event of your day was drinking an iced coffee too quickly on a crowded terrace.

This summer, my favorites fall into a few very specific categories. Let me walk you through them.

The ’90s Minimalists

Thin straps. Faded shades of chocolate brown, black, camel, and sometimes a startling bright red. The kind of sandals that channel Carolyn Bessette Kennedy—someone who has apparently done nothing more strenuous than spend 15 days in the South of France reading paperbacks and looking effortlessly perfect.

These sandals require specific companions. Jeans that are slightly too long, pooling just above the toe. A wrinkled men’s shirt, untucked and unbothered. Black sunglasses that hide half your face. And a general tendency to answer “Whatever you want” whenever someone asks where to go for dinner. You’re not difficult. You’re not easy. You’re simply wearing the right sandals.

The Jelly Sandal Comeback

I know. Jelly sandals are a sensitive subject. They divide rooms. Some people see them as children’s shoes from the early 2000s—the kind that gave you blisters in places you didn’t know could blister. I see the Mediterranean. I see vacation pharmacies and night markets. I see that slightly kitsch aesthetic that always comes roaring back the moment people start overthinking fashion.

Here’s the trick: transparent jelly sandals with a red pedicure instantly become incredibly chic. The red does something. It grounds the silliness. It says, “I’m in on the joke, but I also genuinely like these.” And honestly? Nothing feels more like summer than walking through puddles and not caring because your shoes are essentially fancy plastic.

The Crochet-and-Folk Phase

I’m going through something right now. Call it a phase. Call it a crisis. Call it a chronic desire to become the kind of person who lives barefoot in a white house with curtains moving in the wind. Whatever it is, it’s manifesting in crochet sandals and folk-inspired details.

There’s something about crochet that feels handmade in a world of mass production. Slightly irregular. Slightly imperfect. The kind of sandal that looks like it was made by someone’s aunt who lives on an island and only emerges to sell her wares at the local market. Pair them with white linen pants or a floaty cotton dress. Channel the energy of someone who has never checked email on a beach and never will.

The Just-Right Sparkle

Let me clarify something. I’m not talking about evening sandals. I’m not talking about the kind of shoes you wear to a wedding or a fancy dinner reservation. I’m talking about flat sandals with a slightly absurd jewelry detail. A gold buckle that’s too big for the strap. A few rhinestones scattered like an afterthought. A metallic strap that catches the light around 7 p.m., when the sun is lower and your skin is finally starting to show the day’s warmth.

I like shoes that feel slightly like a Sicilian grandmother going out to buy figs. That’s a deeply underrated energy. It’s not trying to be young. It’s not trying to be trendy. It’s just comfortable and personal and a little bit extra in a way that feels authentic rather than performative.

The Red Obsession

Red keeps returning in my summer sandal rotation. Not a shy red. Not a brick red or a burgundy or anything you could mistake for another color. A vivid, almost aggressive red. The kind of red that stops traffic, though not literally—you’re still wearing flat sandals, not making a political statement.

Red is the perfect summer shoe color. It pops against tanned skin. It looks incredible with a black swimsuit. It transforms a white dress from “laundry day” to “I have plans.” It turns an old pair of Levi’s into something worth photographing. If you own one pair of colorful sandals this summer, make them red. You’ll wear them more than you expect.

The Bottom Line

Deep down, my favorite sandals are always the ones that create the illusion of going somewhere—even when you’re staying put. They evoke a more relaxed, sunnier, freer version of yourself while you’re simply digging through a tote bag full of squashed fruit purée pouches, receipts, and leaking sunscreen, desperately searching for your keys.

That’s the magic of a good sandal. It’s not about the shoe itself. It’s about the person you become when you put them on. So this summer, choose the sandals that tell a story. Even if the only story is that you finally found a pair that doesn’t give you blisters. That’s worth celebrating too.