Flat Sandal Debacle

I practically live in flat sandals in summer. I've got at least 6 pairs in my rotation, most of them I bought at Target because Target has the cutest flat sandals and who can say no to the usual $12.99 price tag?

I've noticed that most of my flat sandals are in bad shape this year. My favorite Target pair that I bought last year after seeing Emily wear them to work one day. (no longer available)

They are my go-to sandals, I think because they are a neutral color and tend to go with everything.

BUT (this is a big BUT) they are so incredible uncomfortable! They have absolutely no cushion to them what-so-ever. I can wear them to work just fine, since the majority of my day is sitting at a desk, but if any walking is involved these are the worst.

I wore them this past weekend to the Bedlam baseball game which required walking around downtown. At one point I told Dave that I'd be more comforable barefoot.

When we got home I showed him the flat sandal situation I was dealing with and he agreed to let me buy a new pair to get me through the summer with as little complaints as possible. (such a nice guy)

Here's my line-up of flat sandals:

I really like these, they are very comfortable (thanks for putting some cushion in there Cynthia!), but these are yellow with a bronze footbed. i.e. they don't go with everything and even though yellow is everywhere lately I can't realy considered it a neutral.

I really loved these when I bought them 2 years ago and they are very very comfortable! But after 2 years they're so worn out I feel like a slob when I wear them. (the metallic is peeling off in random places)

I'm still thinking about replacing these as they are great slip on casual sandals.

In fact, I was so impressed with the Diba sandals I had bought the previous year, that last year I purchased these:

These are cute but the back strap does not stay up on my foot for more than 2 seconds, incredible annoying.

And yes, I've tried tightening the buckle.

I also have the black gladiators in the above picture, in my rotation. These are great, they have cushion BUT I got them at Ross for $7.99 and they're already starting to fall apart 5 wears later.

So, on Saturday I went out in search of new flat sandals for the summer! The main ingredient they needed was comfort. I also didn't want them to fall apart quickly, so I was willing to spend a little more money on them if I could wear them all summer and they'd still look good. Remember, I wear sandals to work and pretty much every weekend.

I had a couple gift cards to Saks so I thought I'd check there first.

I tried these on because I thought they could be dressy or casual and all my other Tory Burch shoes are so comfortable I wear them all the time!

I so badly want these to work and to end my hunt for the perfect flat sandals right then... But (there's that annoying 'But' again!) they were so narrow I felt like my feet were hanging off the sides and I have narrow feet!

Seriously though, look at how much room they've given you for your big toe: Ridiculous!

Sorry Tory, make these wider and you'd sell a lot more pairs!

Saks didn't have much else so my Mom and I headed to Dillards.

I tried on the Steve Madden's I'd blogged about earlier. They were as hard and uncomfortable as the target pair I adore. :(

I also tried these, which were very comfortable as far as cushion for the bottom of your foot goes, but the toe strap thing was not comfortable. Fail.

I tried the below on in the Brown and Cream color. I like the cushion and the style could be casual or dressy depending on the rest of my outfit.

I ended up leaving with the cream pair, but couldn't help but think that I could've got something I liked better for the $75 price tag.

So I kept the receipt and continued the hunt online.

I remembered seeing some Tory Burch sandals last summer that I really loved and looked SO comfortable, but of course they're gone this year :(

This is the closest they have now, Tory Burch Avriela Thong Sandals

I was unsure of the patent leather being able to hold up for an entire summer and if I'm spending $200 on sandals they better last!

I couldn't get the Tory Burch "Huxley" sandal from last year out of my mind, so off to ebay I went.

I found them! Brand new, never been worn and in my size!

They're silver and gold, which ensures me they will go with everything I own! How perfect!

Not to mention they've got way more room for your big toe than the pair I originally wanted.

 

I placed my bid and waited patiently until Sunday evening. Since the auction ended at midnight and that's supposed to be past my bedtime, I upped my max bid to what I was willing to pay for these beauties and went off to sleep. I was very happy when I woke up and saw that I'd won! Hooray!

It really is better when you win it!

Expect to see these in a lot of outfit pictures this summer!

I'm anxiously patiently waiting for them to arrive on my doorstep, and returning the $75 dillards pair today!

What are your favorite flat sandals this summer?

Do you pay more for better quality or stock up on cheap pairs?