Oh My God I Hate Flip-Flops

(I bags being the first Ilxor to say "flipflop'll")

I used to think the bit between my toes would bother me too but it really doesnt. Still I prefer slides (still rubber, just with a band across the top of your foot). STarting about this time of the year, these are the only shoes I'll be wearing through the end of September.

(btw, I have lovely feet and always have nicely painted nails.)

YES! And stay inside!

(Never flip-flops.)

and when you see them shout "HOBBIT!"

They're more like the Vespa of feet.

(I wear t-shirts and trainers to work, but flip-flops seem so... slovenly. They should be banned, although I shall go with S's suggestion and allow them to bo worn on 100 degree plus days. Which would mean that for one day out of the entire modern history of Britain they'd have been acceptable.)

X-post - okay, FFs are the micro-skooter of feet.

Jack Purcell's
Stan Smith's

Sandles are extremely problematic, not for beginners.

http://freakout.jp/sneaker/converse/JackPurcellW3F.JPG
http://www.sneakerland.com/images/img/adi_034813_img.jpg

xpost feet polarise people awfully, don't they?

This statement perplexes me. Oh no! The instruction manual is missing! Oh no!

What?

I'm also sketchy on shorts for women unless you have legs like Betty Grable. I myself never wear shorts. (make what you will of the quality of my legs)

Care to rephrase that???

i really don't see that. and i don't see what the problem would be if they were...

The danger:
the none-more-gay linen cropped trouser and posh leather designer sandal is a nice solution.

Sandles on guys can look kind of prissy or euro. You don't want that. Esp. if you ARE european

(personally, I'd ban skaters and surfers from, um, existence, but I imagine I'm in the minority on that one)

* ;-), obv

*sigh*

of course this all irrelevant if you don't really care. I mean if you want to wear tevas and attract other teva-wearing folx well.. . i'm sure you'll have a happy life together.

http://www.barrieshoes.com/sebago_mens.html

They say "suburban man mowing the lawn, far away from the ocean" to me.

It's not hot enough to wear them yet, but I will, with shorts too, I have a whole new ensemble of shorts to wear this year.

Fill green envelopes and send them to ya
On train ride, read Marx tracts
Play walkmans loud behind ya
Demonstrate on Oxford Street
About what the Hell they couldn't tell ya
British people in hot weather
Have a heart-to-heart with your sister
People in shorts drunk before ya
Beached whale in Wapping
His armpit hairs are sprouting
Serpentine ah.... Serpentine grrr...
British people in hot weather

Press hot houses waste tree statements
Compare your pearls before the King of Monks
I'm telling ya, oh
Do they know they can get cancer?
Designer tramp goes grrr...
Looking jolly from Stoke
As he walks through and makes up
Titles like this, to order
They're well off their trolley
Smoking like a chimney
Bespectacled stare-out
British people in hot weather

I was a candidate for club 18-30
but I've been through all that shit before
British people in hot weather
That's it, I'm looking straight for the car
If that's how you feel, let's go
British people in hot weather

I'm glad I'm a girl and can wear skirts in the summer. I fucking hate wearing shorts and always have.

double word, sarah.

triple word on skirts. even better than shorts since you get more air flow.

Only I'm drinking a cup of tea now and I'm fucking roasting all of a sudden. (not, repeat NOT complaining).

I would never have dreamed of wearing flipflops/sandals in London, even in the hottest weather. But now that's all I wear when I'm not at work or going out of an evening.

Girls in flip flops (anywhere) = CLASSIC

Tevas and Birkenstocks on anyone = DUD-ISIMO!!

In general I don't like shoes that I have to lace or fasten in any way and I also detest socks (always strike me as unfeminine) so obv. sandals/flip-flops appeal to me greatly.

I'd never wear sandals, ever.

Flip flops make people's feet look nasty. I've yet to meet a woman who wouldn't have done better either going barefoot or by putting on sandals with a bit of a heel, so I dislike them muchly. I don't like anything that makes the world more ugly! Hence not wanting to see guy's feet, actually.

obv. not. of course I have exceptions to my own irrationality. over the knee socks are great. Essential with doc marten or similar boots.

I just hate seeing women in atheltic-type socks unless they are exercising.

and i hate wearing socks.

I was just about to mention Reefs. I need to buy some more. I was wearing mine this weekend and I figure that I should replace them since it has been about 5 or 6 years since I bought them.

T/S: Breezy tropical comfort vs. sweaty misery and athlete's foot.

The best sandals I've ever owned are some Bata chappals I got in Chennai (where everybody wears sandals year round because they're not dumb enough to live in a miserably cold icepit like London or Boston). Flip flops are also cool because you can buy them at drugstores for like 2 bucks.

The percentage of people wearing the flip flops has a direct correlation with how nice the weather is. Why would anyone complain about this?

Maybe I'll post a picture of myself wearing them. In a trucker hat.

actually if it was 100F and humidity was 90% the heat index would be around 170F... nobody would live. over about 90F you won't really see humidity go above 65-70%. on those 100F+ afternoons in texas summer, the RH is usually around 45-50% in dallas and 55-60% in houston, which is more than enough to make it miserable. at night the RH can of course easily hit 90%+.

oh yeah, i don't like flip-flops but mostly i don't care. i favor slip-ons and velcro myself so i can see the appeal but they hurt my toes. people's violent dislike of tevas is also strange... why?

I mean if you want to wear tevas and attract other teva-wearing folx well.. . i'm sure you'll have a happy life together.

i.e., such footwear is a perfect indicator that you are the sort of person who another sort of person would never want to associate themselves with. you can fill in the appropriate imagined identities.

They also have a violent dislike of pedantic posters hazel.

Tevas just are too crunchy, hippie-esque, rock-climber for me. Birkenstocks as well. To me they both scream a lack of style. I mean I'm no fashion plate myself but everybody has to draw the line somewhere.

You can tell even more by looking at their feet!

THEY'RE TOPSIDERS, not "dock" siders. There's only one kind. The docksiders are crass knockoffs. LL Bean Blucher mocs are okay too, but different.

http://www.sperrytopsider.com/images/shoes/large/0195115.jpg

Oh, Sam! Don't be naive!

Hahahah! Tho my dad wears 'em, so I really shouldn't laugh...

I have fairly high arches and don't really have a problem with flipflops - I do search for really comfortable ones that don't kill me between the toes etc. though.

haha, this reminds me of the line in Belly's "Untogether" which goes "I strapped on my boat-feet and surfed in to shore".

Also, despite loving "Margarittaville" by Jimmy Buffet, I've always hated that line where he rhymes "flip flops" with "pop top". What the hell is a "pop top"? And how do you cut your feet on it, or whatever??

And there's plenty more where that came from.

Wait, they don't *make* those things anymore? When did they stop?? I am so fucking out of it. Anyway, I would've just called that a "tab," I think. (And okay, I kinda figured out what Buffett meant after a while, I admit it. But believe me, nobody ever actually CALLED those things "pop tops" in the '70s. At least nobody where I lived.)

I bought some really pretty turquoise beaded flip flops today. I shall be the belle of the beach.

About 20 plus years ago -- I seem to remember them phasing over to the new ones in the early eighties.

awful. just awful, but sam's right... the stiletto sneaker things (an offshoot of those abhorrent jimmy choo stiletto timberland things, i suspect) are even worse. tevas are icky, as well. the perfect thing to wear with toe rings and your long, floaty peruvian skirt after field hockey practice. GAH!

x-post: II - wildish guess tho

the only cans i still punch in are the big old cans of V-8, pre-bloody-mary

Pop Thong

The Top 10 Tune for America's Bottom 10 Goes Ka-smack, Ka-smack, Ka-smack

By Hank Stuever
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 31, 2004; Page C01

On flip-flops, we flip-flop, for and against, from adoration to disgust.

Here is the footwear that helped Americans devise a loophole in the "No Shirt/No Shoes/No Service" rule, a devastating if comfortable triumph of the casual. A bra can be a shirt, and flip-flops count as a shoe, and therefore do not prevent emergency entrance into convenience stores and access to beer, Slurpees or cigarettes in the middle of an unkempt summer afternoon. Somewhere a television camera crew is always waiting so it can shoot videotape of anonymous people from behind as they walk by, wearing their flip-flops and tank tops and stretchy shorts and eating enormous ice cream cones. The tape will serve as B-roll for the next alarming exposé of national obesity rates.

Flip, flop. Flip, flop.

In flip-flops, your feet sound like they're chewing gum.

Ka-smack, ka-smack, ka-smack.

This is either a horrible racket or the irresistible song of summer. Can't decide.

In flip-flops, everyone feels like they're on vacation, when actually they've acquired the dressed-down style of a just-released hospital patient. Fashionistas are split: Either the flip-flop has entered the realm of the chic (ergo the $175 Prada flip-flop) or it's another lamentable faux pas, a shoe that shouldn't ever be worn in public, unless there's an ocean or swimming pool within a couple dozen ka-smacks.

The world's mothers would never let you walk into a 7-Eleven barefoot, and so you go there in flip-flops. The world's mothers would also never let you wear flip-flops to church, but now it's too late, and people do.

College kids wear flip-flops both semesters, even in January, most certainly to annoy you, the same grating annoyance that could be caused by Jenna Bush ka-smack-ka-smack-ing her way into a state dinner or onto Air Force One. (Just because she hasn't doesn't necessarily mean she wouldn't.) Teenagers wear flip-flops everywhere, conjuring up the same disdain that deliberately ripped jeans must have caused in their elders 20 years ago. The bare midriff issue is a sort of yellow-level terror alert. Somehow, wearing flip-flops to a relative's wedding sets off a code red in parents: You're wearing those?

Last summer was the summer of the pastel-colored, kitten-heel flip-flop, $85 at Bergdorf's in Manhattan and impossible to get, and women despised other women who already had them, at least if you were believing Us Weekly. Movie stars wear high-dollar versions of flip-flops in transit between various levels of fabulousness, from the studio set to the Fred Segal boutique to the carefully orchestrated publicity event. (Carmen Electra ka-smacks around in $195 bejeweled Lily Holt flip-flops, which Steven Cojocaru then brings to the "Today" show and effuses about, giving Katie Couric an opportunity to claim she has ugly toes -- and repeat the cycle next week, with a different kind of high-end flip-flop and a different celebrity allegedly wearing them.) Los Angeles is really just a big beach town, and so you see a lot of flip-flops, even on people who never go to Santa Monica anymore. If you pay more than $100 for them, it helps to call them havainas. (Or lay hands on a pair of the actual Havaina brand of flip-flop made in Brazil.)

Now everywhere is a big beach town.

The beach is in your mind and between your toes.

The flip-flops are at Target.

Courtney Love wears flip-flops to some of her many court arraignments because she is deranged and anti-fashionable, which we all know is fashionable. Your nephew wears them to the prom, with a tuxedo, because, at 17, he has declared himself "not a shoe person." The summer interns will wear them to work, just you wait, until someone tells them not to, someone female and frumpy; the interns will then regard her with a special scorn reserved for the hopelessly outdated.

Prisoners in most states are required to wear flip-flops in the shower, protecting them from fungus but not from anything else that may happen therein. So, too, certain germophobes at the gym are fanatical wearers of flip-flops in the locker room. (Which is nothing personal against you or your feet, understand. The naked man wearing the flip-flops could perhaps be confessing something about himself: His feet are the problem, or were at one time the problem. He is the fungus among us.)

Flip-flops: Let's be clear about what we're talking about. Not mules, slides, sandals, Birkenstocks, Tevas or mandals. Each of those come with a different set of sounds, making use of a different set of muscles and bones in the feet.

The flip-flop was once upon a time known as the thong, until thong underwear and the apple-bottoms of a number of strippers and pop singers usurped the word. By semantic necessity the thong had to become the flip-flop.

The only real requirement of any sandal wishing to become a flip-flop is located between the first and second li'l piggies; once they are separated by a thong, you can design and market your flip-flop however you like, manufacturing it from rubber, or plastic, or Astroturf, or leather, or bamboo. You can get the 99-cent pair or spend several hundred dollars. Either way, you are broadcasting a message of vacation, of summer, of disregard. You are saying that your comfort is the No. 1 concern. You've believed the implicit gospel of fun preached by Old Navy commercials: wacky, flappy, cheap good times. In flip-flops, you're not really here, not really on the clock, not appropriately dressed for anything. This is the shoe that let everyone off the hook.

A downside: It has given people unprecedented, constant access to their feet. At the turn of the 21st century, toes became the new fingers, open to new obsessions, beautification techniques and hateful scorn. The promise of scanty footwear is the possibility that at any moment you can become barefoot. A young woman absently-minded picks at the gunk between her toes while sitting in the audience at a recent author-reading at Politics & Prose bookstore on Connecticut Avenue until she notices us staring at her, and then she quickly places her foot back on her flip-flop.

An upside: Driving barefoot.

Flip-flops are almost always made in China, where unhappy millions of wage earners have been oppressed in one way or another for millenniums, and so many of them have never known the pleasure of driving fast and barefoot on a summer's evening. Those flip-flop factories labor hard for our $12 tropical-themed J. Crew flip-flops. You pull over to the soft-serve stand, shut the engine off (but not the radio) and reach down for your flip-flops and life is perfect, for the moment, at least on one side of the globe.

Republican kids took to showing up at Sen. John Kerry's campaign rallies this spring and waving flip-flops in the air, because they say John Kerry "flip-flops" on the issues. Get it? Get it?

(And people wonder why the young don't vote. Because getting involved in politics is all so dorky, that's why, hammering a lame joke over and over, until, predictably, there's a Web site selling flip-flops with all the evolving positions of the presumed Democratic nominee spelled out on the top side of the sole. They weren't even the first to think of this: The National Organization for Women left buckets of flip-flops on the doorstep of the New Jersey statehouse in 1999 when they believed that then-Gov. Christine Todd Whitman had altered her position on requiring parental notification for underage girls seeking abortions.)

Kerry has been defending himself against the flip-flop accusation as far back as 1988, when he wrote a letter to the Wall Street Journal regarding an editorial about his position on Manuel Noriega and Panama: "You are absolutely wrong, however, in opining that this position is some kind of 'flip-flop,' something newly arrived at as the result of reading the opinion polls."

The Bush campaign's Web site has a 13-page list of what it considers Kerry's flip-flops: the Iraq war, trade with China, tax relief for married couples, married relief for gay couples, missile defense, etc.

Hannity, to Colmes, on May 21, on their Fox News kennel-bark show: "You sit here every night and you defend John Kerry as not being a flip-flopper. Alan, this guy is the only guy I know that could flip-flop on whether or not he owns an SUV."

MSNBC asked Kerry last week if he flip-flops. He said no: "They are absolutely dead wrong. This administration has flip-flopped on almost everything," Kerry said, then launched into a harangue about the Patriot Act.

The point is this: The worst thing you can do in politics is change your mind, whether you have good reason to or not. No flip-flops. No waffles. But this is a long way from Wal-Mart and back yards and public swimming pools and actual people who wear actual cheap flip-flops, further than anyone in professional politics would like to admit.

Podiatrists: A little worried.

They're seeing otherwise healthy, fit college kids who keep coming in and complaining of severe heel and ankle pain, and sure enough: The sheet of tendon that spreads along the bottoms of their aching dogs looks as if it belongs to a geriatric Tarzan. They've got a condition called plantar fasciitis, caused by wearing flip-flops too far, too long, bringing misery to the eleventyseven bones in their feet.

The remedy: arch support.

(The podiatrist was all: Wear shoes. And I was all: Hello, I am not a shoe person.)

You're young and free and gorgeous and enviably laid-back. We've seen you. The young women passing by in little skirts and two tank tops (explain that someday) and flip-flops: ka-smack, ka-smack, ka-smack. And the guys, with shaggy, curly hair and knee-length cargo shorts, ka-smack, ka-smack, ka-smack. It's like they all grew up down the creek from Dawson, or got pulled over with Albert Gore III. There is a party in progress. Something lazy is going on. They live in some catalogue setting, somewhere else, not here. Their happiness and cheerfulness is sickening, but that's because you have sweaty feet and sore calves.

Are you people going to put on some shoes?

No. Not in this country, not at this time. Not all summer.

(i've worn real shoes probably twice in the last week)

I have expressed my disdain for socks so much I shall not repeat it.

?

if the restaurant has tatami you must remove your shoes. wearing bare feet on tatami is almost as bad as wearing shoes.

h, you seldom eat sushi or udon in restaurants on tatami.

You can pretty much go into anyplace in Austin in cut-offs and sandals but Houston joints like to require collars and stuff. Fascists.

xpost

--

FASHION FOOTNOTE
`YOU WORE FLIP-FLOPS TO THE WHITE HOUSE?!'

By Jodi S. Cohen and Maegan Carberry, Tribune staff reporters. Tribune staff reporters Michael Kilian and Christi Parsons contributed to this report
Published July 15, 2005

Before visiting the White House, Kate Darmody carefully planned her outfit. She bought a sundress from Ann Taylor. She put on a strand of white pearls.

And then she slipped on flip-flops to meet the president. So did about half of her teammates from the national championship Northwestern University women's lacrosse team, invited to the White House on Tuesday after a 21-0 season.

She didn't think twice about the footwear until she got an e-mail--in all capital letters--from her brother.

"YOU WORE FLIP-FLOPS TO THE WHITE HOUSE????!!!!" he wrote after checking out the picture on the team's Web site.

Aly Josephs' mother had the same reaction after seeing her daughter in the front row of the photo--the fifth person away from the president--wearing brown suede flip-flops with a skirt, sleeveless top and matching beaded jewelry.

"Don't even ask me about the flip-flops," her mother said when a reporter questioned her about the picture. "As somebody who is 52 years old, it mortified me. I don't go out of the house without pantyhose on."

Twenty- and 30-somethings will pair flip-flops with everything from shorts to cocktail dresses, with the footwear acceptable (at least to them) at work and at clubs, for a stroll down Michigan Avenue or even down the wedding aisle. For their moms, the shoes--best known for the flapping noise they make--are meant for places like the beach.

One of the hottest trends this summer, flip-flops are no longer a dime-store purchase, with some costing several hundred dollars. They come flat and with wedge heels. They have rhinestones and sequins and flowers. The straps are made of terry cloth and leather.

But in today's more laid-back society, is there a distinction between ratty old flip-flops and ones from Neiman Marcus? Can they be worn at the White House, arguably the most formal setting in the United States?

Shoe expert Meghan Cleary, author of "The Perfect Fit: What Your Shoes Say About You," says no. In her chapter on flip-flops, where she weighs whether "to flip-flop, or not to flip-flop" for particular occasions, she would add a White House visit to the "not" category.

"For me, flip-flops are just not for a formal occasion," Cleary said. "But meeting the president, maybe this really speaks more to the worldwide acceptance of the flip-flop."

But the Northwestern Wildcats lacrosse team members, dressed in skirts and dresses, thought nothing of it. Of the nine women in the front row with the president, four wore flip-flops. The rest wore heeled sandals.

This past season was only the fourth year that Northwestern has had a varsity lacrosse team, and the women were thrilled to join 14 other college championship teams at the White House.

"Nobody was wearing old beach flip-flops," said Josephs, 20, who wore $16 brown, flat flip-flops with rhinestones, one of about 15 pairs in her closet.

Darmody, 22, who decided on a wedge-heel flip-flop, said: "I tried to think of something that would go well with my outfit and at the same time not be that uncomfortable. But at the same not disrespect the White House."

She said that from May to September, "that is all I have on my feet all the time."

The teammates, and their athletic director, commented several times that it was actually the University of Michigan softball team--dressed in khaki shorts, polo shirts and sneakers--that was way underdressed.

"I would have felt out of place if that was what I was wearing," said Darmody, a lacrosse midfielder.

Flip-flops also pooh-poohed

But etiquette experts generally thought the flip-flops also were out of place.

"Many people are confused nowadays about when an occasion calls for dressing more formally. I'd say meeting a world leader is one of those occasions," said Charles Purdy, who writes the San Francisco Weekly's Dear Social Grace column.

Lesley Carlin, co-author of "Things You Need to be Told," said wearing flip-flops to the White House is a "huge no-no."

"You see them a lot more, but I've heard a lot of people remarking, `Those belong at the beach and not at the office.'"

Even Joe Guidry, a salesman at the upscale Stuart Weitzman store on Michigan Avenue, said he wouldn't advise women to wear the company's $150 flip-flops to the White House.

"Meeting the president? I personally wouldn't wear them," he said.

Lindsey Munday, Northwestern senior and offensive player on the lacrosse team, chose to wear light blue sandals, but said the flip-flops were suitable too.

"I didn't look at any of my teammates and say that was so inappropriate. I think there is a line between certain flip-flops and others," she said.

Munday said she shopped for the White House outfit with her mother, and chose a sundress, cardigan, bag and shoes from Ann Taylor. "I think she was going more for the heel look than flip-flops," she said.

What's the dress code?

White House spokeswoman Erin Healy wouldn't comment on whether the White House has a dress code. Soon after President Bush took office, he suggested that men should wear a tie in the Oval Office, and staffers reportedly do not wear jeans in the West Wing.

Ann Stock, who was Hillary Clinton's social secretary, said that while there was no written dress code for White House guests, "people who visit the White House know they're going to a very special place and that one should dress appropriately."

Nancy Reagan's social secretary, Muffie Brandon, was aghast to discover that some female staffers routinely wore flip-flops to work in hot weather.

"We do not wear clogs at the White House," Brandon proclaimed.

Locally, state Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest), whose tastes run toward elegant suits and heels, said people shouldn't be overly concerned about what they wear when visiting the state Capitol.

"I don't think we should be pointing fingers at their flip-flops," she said.

Josephs, a junior on the lacrosse team who scored about 45 goals last season, had planned to wear a pair of heeled orange shoes to the White House but left them at home. She said the trip to the White House was "surreal."

The team gave Bush two "GWB43" lacrosse sticks, one painted red, white and blue and the other painted purple, the school color.

The teammates then shook his hand and posed for a picture, four rows of women standing tall with the president, who was dressed in a suit, blue tie and dark dress shoes.

Everybody was doing it

Josephs' mother, Lydia, said her daughter's freshly pedicured toes were the first thing she noticed when she saw the picture.

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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FASHION FOOTNOTE
`YOU WORE FLIP-FLOPS TO THE WHITE HOUSE?!'

By Jodi S. Cohen and Maegan Carberry, Tribune staff reporters. Tribune staff reporters Michael Kilian and Christi Parsons contributed to this report
Published July 15, 2005

--

FASHION FOOTNOTE
`YOU WORE FLIP-FLOPS TO THE WHITE HOUSE?!'

By Jodi S. Cohen and Maegan Carberry, Tribune staff reporters. Tribune staff reporters Michael Kilian and Christi Parsons contributed to this report
Published July 15, 2005

Before visiting the White House, Kate Darmody carefully planned her outfit. She bought a sundress from Ann Taylor. She put on a strand of white pearls.

And then she slipped on flip-flops to meet the president. So did about half of her teammates from the national championship Northwestern University women's lacrosse team, invited to the White House on Tuesday after a 21-0 season.

She didn't think twice about the footwear until she got an e-mail--in all capital letters--from her brother.

"YOU WORE FLIP-FLOPS TO THE WHITE HOUSE????!!!!" he wrote after checking out the picture on the team's Web site.

Aly Josephs' mother had the same reaction after seeing her daughter in the front row of the photo--the fifth person away from the president--wearing brown suede flip-flops with a skirt, sleeveless top and matching beaded jewelry.

"Don't even ask me about the flip-flops," her mother said when a reporter questioned her about the picture. "As somebody who is 52 years old, it mortified me. I don't go out of the house without pantyhose on."

Twenty- and 30-somethings will pair flip-flops with everything from shorts to cocktail dresses, with the footwear acceptable (at least to them) at work and at clubs, for a stroll down Michigan Avenue or even down the wedding aisle. For their moms, the shoes--best known for the flapping noise they make--are meant for places like the beach.

One of the hottest trends this summer, flip-flops are no longer a dime-store purchase, with some costing several hundred dollars. They come flat and with wedge heels. They have rhinestones and sequins and flowers. The straps are made of terry cloth and leather.

But in today's more laid-back society, is there a distinction between ratty old flip-flops and ones from Neiman Marcus? Can they be worn at the White House, arguably the most formal setting in the United States?

Shoe expert Meghan Cleary, author of "The Perfect Fit: What Your Shoes Say About You," says no. In her chapter on flip-flops, where she weighs whether "to flip-flop, or not to flip-flop" for particular occasions, she would add a White House visit to the "not" category.

"For me, flip-flops are just not for a formal occasion," Cleary said. "But meeting the president, maybe this really speaks more to the worldwide acceptance of the flip-flop."

But the Northwestern Wildcats lacrosse team members, dressed in skirts and dresses, thought nothing of it. Of the nine women in the front row with the president, four wore flip-flops. The rest wore heeled sandals.

This past season was only the fourth year that Northwestern has had a varsity lacrosse team, and the women were thrilled to join 14 other college championship teams at the White House.

"Nobody was wearing old beach flip-flops," said Josephs, 20, who wore $16 brown, flat flip-flops with rhinestones, one of about 15 pairs in her closet.

Darmody, 22, who decided on a wedge-heel flip-flop, said: "I tried to think of something that would go well with my outfit and at the same time not be that uncomfortable. But at the same not disrespect the White House."

She said that from May to September, "that is all I have on my feet all the time."

The teammates, and their athletic director, commented several times that it was actually the University of Michigan softball team--dressed in khaki shorts, polo shirts and sneakers--that was way underdressed.

"I would have felt out of place if that was what I was wearing," said Darmody, a lacrosse midfielder.

Flip-flops also pooh-poohed

But etiquette experts generally thought the flip-flops also were out of place.

"Many people are confused nowadays about when an occasion calls for dressing more formally. I'd say meeting a world leader is one of those occasions," said Charles Purdy, who writes the San Francisco Weekly's Dear Social Grace column.

Lesley Carlin, co-author of "Things You Need to be Told," said wearing flip-flops to the White House is a "huge no-no."

"You see them a lot more, but I've heard a lot of people remarking, `Those belong at the beach and not at the office.'"

Even Joe Guidry, a salesman at the upscale Stuart Weitzman store on Michigan Avenue, said he wouldn't advise women to wear the company's $150 flip-flops to the White House.

"Meeting the president? I personally wouldn't wear them," he said.

Lindsey Munday, Northwestern senior and offensive player on the lacrosse team, chose to wear light blue sandals, but said the flip-flops were suitable too.

"I didn't look at any of my teammates and say that was so inappropriate. I think there is a line between certain flip-flops and others," she said.

Munday said she shopped for the White House outfit with her mother, and chose a sundress, cardigan, bag and shoes from Ann Taylor. "I think she was going more for the heel look than flip-flops," she said.

What's the dress code?

White House spokeswoman Erin Healy wouldn't comment on whether the White House has a dress code. Soon after President Bush took office, he suggested that men should wear a tie in the Oval Office, and staffers reportedly do not wear jeans in the West Wing.

Ann Stock, who was Hillary Clinton's social secretary, said that while there was no written dress code for White House guests, "people who visit the White House know they're going to a very special place and that one should dress appropriately."

Nancy Reagan's social secretary, Muffie Brandon, was aghast to discover that some female staffers routinely wore flip-flops to work in hot weather.

"We do not wear clogs at the White House," Brandon proclaimed.

Locally, state Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest), whose tastes run toward elegant suits and heels, said people shouldn't be overly concerned about what they wear when visiting the state Capitol.

"I don't think we should be pointing fingers at their flip-flops," she said.

Josephs, a junior on the lacrosse team who scored about 45 goals last season, had planned to wear a pair of heeled orange shoes to the White House but left them at home. She said the trip to the White House was "surreal."

The team gave Bush two "GWB43" lacrosse sticks, one painted red, white and blue and the other painted purple, the school color.

The teammates then shook his hand and posed for a picture, four rows of women standing tall with the president, who was dressed in a suit, blue tie and dark dress shoes.

Everybody was doing it

Josephs' mother, Lydia, said her daughter's freshly pedicured toes were the first thing she noticed when she saw the picture.

"I called her up and screamed at the message machine, `How could you go to the White House in flip-flops,'" she recalled. "She said, `Mom, it didn't matter. Everybody was wearing flip-flops.'"

Tom Darmody, 38, also was surprised when he saw his sister in the picture.

"I was a little taken aback, to say the least," said Darmody, an attorney who admitted he might be jealous as his feet sweated in socks and leather shoes. "You are two people away from the leader of the most powerful country in the free world and you're wearing flip-flops?"

KERRY LOST, OKAY???? YUO DON'T HAVE TO RUB SALT IN THE WOUNDS!!!!!

No offence to Mark or Wimbledon (some of my best friends are Wimbledon!), but that says it all for me.

Here in BERKELEY, I go to the movies in flip flops and silk pyjamas!

http://severin-rast.de/catalog/images/emilyskullflops1.jpg

You will all be wearing them by Thursday.

what about Ugg boots inside of birkenstocks?

and a related followup question:

what about Ugg boats inside of birkenstocks?

It's going to be a long summer.

It's winter here at the moment and I have another question "don't their feet get cold?" because aussies still walk around with flip flops on and some with totally bare feet! I like to keep my tootsies warm...

If my feet are open to the air they get all cracked and funky, despite pumice, lotions, sleeping with socks full of lanolin, etc, etc. My son told me my feet looks like they were decomposing. So now I wear shoes w/ socks on even the hottest days, running shoes or Merrell mocs with shorty sox—totally comfy.

personally, I'd ban skaters and surfers from, um, existence...

xpost

Very very slowly and not very far. Shuffle shuffle shuffle. They gotta make that scuffy sound against the sidewalk.

Allow me to direct you to the Moccasin. Frumpy, comfy, and no bending required!

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/LimitedLiabilityGirl/Flipflop.gif

JMZ, yr right, the title is "Standin' on the Corner" but at some point in the lyrics it alternates w/ "waitin'" and I just chose one. 42nd Street I don't know about -- my version is by Dorothy Berry.

generally, you can't do extensive walking in flipflops/sandals w/o fucking up your feet. so you do non-extensive walking in them. the extent or duration of the damage can be reduced by walking so as to minimize friction between foot and flipflop, i.e. holding them tight so they don't move around a lot.

my 3 other hangups re flip-flops: (a) for guys, they practically "I AM A FUCKING ASSHOLE!!!" even more than those striped-shirts that we were making fun of this winter; (b) they LOOK really cheap and tacky (even if yer one of these idiots that pays mucho bucks for them shits at A&F or urban outfitters or [god forbid] saks or bergdorf goodman; (c) they just kinda freak me out in urban environments -- between the threat of people grinding into your feet, or stubbing your open toes on a curb or in glass or dog shit. then again, i wear flip-flops and sandals too on occasion.

Maybe that's why you're such a helpless, useless dick, DMX.

This has to be one of the greatest quotes in hip-hop history.

I didn't think it was possible for people to find a footwear style more loathesome than flip-flops (topsiders are surely close), but I swear I see EVERYBODY wearing these things. They are easily the most disgustingly ugly things I have ever seen. Are they not meant for gardening or something? Yuck.

ps foleys suck

Speaking of beach-side footwear and where I live, have any of you seen that article in the New Yorker about the "Vineyard fracture"? We have exorbitantly high rates of 5th metatarsal foot injuries, probably because of uneven pavement, relaxed footwear, and how clueless people on vacation ("conelickers") become.

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/060821ta_talk_collins

my new motto!

re crocs: we had a whole, long conversation upthread about crocs. some here LOVE 'em.

I had - and maybe still have - some Prada Japanese style platform flipflops. I nearly broke my ankle walking in'em. Almost never wore'em again after that. Actually, despite what some people say, I think Prada shoes are extremely uncomfortable. Fuck'em.

Does the madness finally end this summer?

I wear my Lidl flip flops when I go to the pool.

So NO.

The big hype has certainly disappeared, but you still see'em around. I don't care, I think they can be cute. Crocks (?) however are the devil's artefacts.

Given todays forecast I should expect the big thing this summer will be wellies.

*wangs*

Kids be loving crocs. And, personally, i don't think they'e that bad. People can what what they like really.

Say what what?

To be honest they were everywhere in Japan, but mostly on kid's feet. I didn't mind'em but on adults.... Urgh!

Both wife and elder daughter have Crocs, so if anyone disses Croc around me I'll smash them in the bloody face. Just kiddin'.

Having said that, Ava often goes "Crocs on? Outside? Run around? Kick the ball?" and off we go; two minutes later she's holding her leg up saying "Toes hurt, Daddy" and I have to retrieve a stone from said Croc. Better off with lace-up pumps for the garden circuit training and penno practice, I find.

she's holding her leg up saying "Toes hurt, Daddy"

Are you sure she's not suggesting heading back inside to do the leg-up dance to "Toes Hurt, Daddi-o" by be-bop legends Shufflin' Bob and the Mojave Octave?

Yes, yes, that's what it must be. No wonder she plays hell when I try and put her to bed. I haven't done the leg-up dance. I R Bad Dad.

Ah, summer must be finally underway. This thread has reappeared!

I just think they look bloody awful on adults. These are things taht are meant for the garden, not in Nakameguro. Blergh. On kids they look pretty as they are smaller, but on adults they look just... YUCK. :-)

xp

'wear what'

i type too fast for brain.

I have oft professed my love for Crocs so I shall not go into it again. I haven't bought a new pair this season and am not sure if I will. But if I do it will be for the extreme comfort they provide on my mile commute to the bus stop in 90+ degree weather. When it comes to those circumstances anyone who opposes on the basis of fashion can suck it.

Hm. I happen to dislike 'em for walking, because I don't have feet like a duck and the width of the Crocs' toebox means I kick my other foot mid-stride. But for standing around, they have saved my ass.

in New York i scored a new pair of Old Navy flipflops and i noticed they have UPPED THE PRICE to $3.50 per pair!!!!! this new chiz is however tempered with a "buy two pairs for $5.00" deal, which opens up a whole new paradigm of flipfloppery i hadnot heretofore considered. owning TWO pairs of new flipflops seems decadent though, even for me.

"Foppatoffels (as imported Crocs are known in Sweden)"

I got mine for £1.99 from budget supermarket Lidl.

flipflops that is

Flip-flops are unacceptable.

€22 TK Maxx. Lined and comfy. Very happy so far. Won't be wearing them to work this year, people still slag me about the last pair that were so noisy u_u

I heart lidl.

Muji flip flops for a whopping £5 rule!

I also hate flip flops anywhere other than the beach. It's pretty casual where I work and there are a lot of girls who where flip flops all summer long which bugs me to no end. They are not work appropriate people! Argh.

flip flops hurt your feet too much for daily wear.

i find that once broken in they're as comfortable as any other type of footwear.

cheapies usually have no arch support though

Cover story on today's Independent Extra:

"LIFE'S A BEACH: How we fell in love with flip-flops"

peoples feet be ugly

They're certainly not work appropriate, but I think they're fine otherwise. They've evolved from cheapy beachwear to a summertime footwear staple.

I have nice feet and today I wearing flip flops. In the office. I don't care about the hataz.

(Small note: there is only one other person in my office at the moment, so it's not the most formal.)

If you really want to make yourself miserable, turn your attention from the petty things to loftier goals. Look up! Imagine if you hated the sky!

sonned in a pettiness beef

I just hate feet. I think we should all have wheels on the ends of our legs instead.

But, but, flip flops in the urban environment. The dirty, stinky, litter strewn, gum-covered, fag-butt pavements, the millions of cross people STOMPING about with scant regard to anyone under 5ft5 - think of your poor feet!! Don't they just end up FILTHY and BRUISED and BATTERED?? I am wearing sandals now, which are ELEVATED and that is a big relief. (Although my office is very quiet and sometimes they SQUEAK hooray I am a mouse).

Your description is scary. But no, this is not a problem for me. How often do you get your feet stepped on? it' has probably happened to me, but I don't remember when the last time was. If I'm on the train wearing flip-fops I use caution.

But for standing around, they have saved my ass.

Your ass?

wink wink

All the time! Especially on the tubes and buses! To the point where I will now happily walk the further distances so I can get on the nice overground (where I rarely get stomped on - train takers are a higher class obv). And I accidentally stood on someones foot this morning and was mortified (she was wearing shoes tho - with flip flops it would have been v ouchy).

Once public transport gets involved I leave the FFs at home for sure, but for neighborhood walkin around I really like em.. partly because it makes me feel like the neighborhood is an extension of my home, i.e. "I'm not really going OUT, just to the offie/park/etc. - we're all friends here, right?" .. kind of a badge of belongingness, maybe

Then you should just do like the folx in my neighborhood Tracer and go out in slippers/houseshoes.

No!! Slippers need to stay CLEAN! Flipflops don't!

Oh goody, now this is really getting going!

I sort of like what Tracer is saying. I would never wear them to work, but I'll put 'em on if I've come home and already took my shoes and socks off but then someone calls and says "hey, I'm at the bar down the street, wanna meet me?" I wore them all weekend, though (it was that kind of weekend), and the lack of arch support definitely had me sore on Monday morning.

TH otm, wearing flip flops to walk to the pool makes it feel like that.

Tracer 8080, but on occasion it might be appropriate to expand the neighborhood/relaxation zone

also there are flipflops with arch support and flipflops that are thicker than sandals

Imagine how awesome these ffers feel all summer long! Everywhere they go!

also there are flipflops with arch support

Sure, but I still can't insert my orthotics.

flip-flops suuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

however, the fact that they are called "flip-flops" redeems them significantly.

What do you call a frenchman in sandals?

HATE.

xpost, but it might work.

Phillipe Phillop

Flip flops are the shit, dawg. Hell, that's what summer means to me: packing a dozen coolers full of ice cold Coors Light tallboys, hitchin the trailer to my F-150, docking the boat at Havasu, and gettin' fuckin' amped with all my best bros from high school. Maybe playin some volleyball, bonfires, and you *know* there'll be some squak-pounding action later on in Jared's RV. Cause one thing is a certainty: bitches love my Tevas (among other things).

:)xpost

"squak"???????

Tevas are not flipflops, they are "sport sandals"

plain havaianas for the beach or running downstairs to meet the delivery guy; otherwise, nope. bejeweled pastel flip-flops belong on 6 year olds, not at the office.

and tevas... well.

INQUIRING MINDS WOULD LIKE A DEFINITION OF "SQUAK".

Also, no to tevas, for gods sake.

Tevas are not flipflops, they are "sport sandals"

Teva makes flip-flops too, brah.

Cue fit of giggles. I am not even discussing Tevas on the internet.

INQUIRING MINDS WOULD LIKE A DEFINITION OF "SQUAK".

Dude if you don't know then I'm not gonna yell you!!!!! Boom shaka lacka

I wouldn't wear flip-flops on Squak.

In Miami they're quite de rigeur, and I must confess to a weakness for Hollister-wearing twentysomething dudes walking around the university. But they're gross for extended walking, like at a fair or theme park. I see those gnarly, sweaty, charred feet at Disney World and wonder why on earth the poor fool thinks they're more appropriate than sneakers.

Teva makes flip-flops too, brah

so does Prada, brah

Some of those flip flops look like they would provide adequate arch support.

Flip-flop haters stay away from Hawaii. They're called 'slippers' here and are the most common footwear. People who don't wear them are considered kind of odd.

I don't think most people have problems with flip flops at the beach or in the tropics - it's the urban flip floppers that have to go!

Surely some of Hawaii is urban?

I'd like to thank Super Cub for giving me yet another reason to never go to Hawaii.

Flip flops are quite common in Honolulu, which is basically urban. It's not New York or London urban though.

I saw a lot of flip flops in Tokyo a few years back. They were the prefered footwear of many disenchanted youths.

i dunno i find boys in flip flops cute ; ) just more skin

I think flip-flop haterz just need to give up already. You've lost.

granted, flip flops in NYC during the work week = dud

Teva makes flip-flops too, brah

so does Prada, brah

I had a pair. They were platform ones and difficult to walk in. :-(

partly because it makes me feel like the neighborhood is an extension of my home, i.e. "I'm not really going OUT, just to the offie/park/etc. - we're all friends here, right?"

There used to be a guy in my neighborhood who'd walk around in the morning fetching newspaper / coffee / breakfast in his bathrobe, pajamas, and slippers -- it was the awesomest, most adorable thing ever, and not just because he looked just short of wearing an actual nightcap. You'd run into him shuffling along, drinking coffee, looking bleary and bedheaded, and it was like some kind of declaration that We Are All Roommates Here.

re: flip-flops just keep them out of the office, cause I am sick to hell of slapping noises and farting noises wandering all around my ear-space. You get like three people wearing flip-flops and walking together on a hot day and it sounds like someone's having sex in the next cubicle.

lol true, and sometimes too many feet in an enclosed space = not nice

So that's what they use for an excuse:"It wasn't my bum flaps, but my flats!"

Also, re nightware: It ain't so cute when it's yer gran wearing her nightie nights outside. *shakes head*

I get yelled out for going outside without a bra. :(

WTF. Who called you out for that? That said, I never leave my house without my bra. I hate the feeling of walking around braless.

You get like three people wearing flip-flops and walking together on a hot day and it sounds like someone's having sex in the next cubicle.

With such an uptight attitude regarding the 'Flops I'm surprised you'd even know what true boneage sounds like! Lol just playin' buddy ;p

Sublime rules Bradley Nowell R.I.P.

xxpost

It irritates G. I wouldn't go for a walk or something without one, too painful, but running up to the store in the car or something wouldn't bother me much. Granted, it's very obvious when I don't have one on and I think this is what he objects to - giving the world at large for too much of me to ponder.

Ah okay. My friend calls me out for not putting the straps high enough (read: so my tits sit on my shoulders). *sigh*

Conversation taking a familiar turn all over again...is there really only one ILX thread and we spiral back to it at a new place on the time part of the continuum?

it's OK any conversation about breasts goes

xpost
ding ding!

I like Tevas for camping/canoeing/etc outdoorsy stuff because they can get wet and it ain't no thing, and if they get funky/dirty, you can hose them off.

I thought flip flops was a euphemism for tits.

Re: breast-hoisting, there would seem to be a few new brea designs now that effectively replace your head/face with tits instead, so that guys don't have to worry about where to look.

People who hate flip-flops = pasty white tundrafolk with no taste whatsoever amiriteorwot?

tundravolken

No, wait, we skipped the discussion about Miz's Gentleman Friend getting mad at her for letting other people notice her tits. Because that's her fault. Etc. It's too late to circle back, isn't it.

That's that other thread. Concentric circles here.

Start a new thread. This is about flip floppy footies. Not titties.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0006ZM818.16._AA260_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Who in their right minds would wear something like this. ^ Yes, Brit Brit, I know.

J-Lo (entertainer Jennifer Lopez) would wear that

it's really hard not 2 look at breasts

lol entertainer Jennifer Lopez

Those foam platform shoes are the most horrible of them all! I have no idea how anyone could think they are a good idea in 2007.

STEVE SHASTA would wear that

i just don't erally like foam material on my feet all day long. not sturdy enuf

http://www.blurbomat.com/storyart/clogs.001-thumb.png

rofflicious

I had a Diesel pair like that about 10 years ago, before flip-flop wearage reached current insanity. They sucked. I wore them once then trashed them.

i just wanna get a pair of those nice brown leather sandals for men, those are sexy, and they're not too casual

Hmm, yes. You should do a search for men in sandals before someone accuses of rehashing.

I think flip-flop haterz just need to give up already. You've lost.

-- Ms Misery

X_X

granted, flip flops in NYC during the work week = dud

Don't you live in Lebanon?

they're THAT LOUD

Flip-flops are unacceptable.

-- Jordan, Wednesday, June 13, 2007 1:30 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Link

i would much rather watch marcel than salman rushdie's wife, especially if the latter is kicking water for no particular reason

fugalicious

http://www.abercrombiekids.com/kids/onlinestore/collection/12859_01_b.jpg

http://www.vikingsfan.org/knit/blueflip.jpg

granted, flip flops in NYC during the work week = dud

Don't you live in Lebanon?

-- jaymc, Wednesday, June 13, 2007 6:07 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link

nopers, i did til i was 4

btw LOL at the flip flops as euphamism for tits line =P

Easy to see where the flip flops = breasts confusion came from:

Aw, what's to hate? They flip! They flop! They keep your feet cool!

-- Archel (Archel), Monday, May 17, 2004 2:13 PM (3 years ago) Bookmark Link

I am anti-ff: do not want to see toes. Also, hate that bit between the toes thing. But I am pro-foam for feet. Therefore, yay CROCS!

Also, hate that bit between the toes thing

It's why I cannae wear'em. I don't like to see them at work since they're unprofessional and mean you can't risk anything physical, but I don't really get the hate, otherwise.

you can't risk anything physical,

What you can't beat up the flip-flop wearer? make out with them?

crocs vs. flip flops is atrocious, like would you rather drink a pint of blended-up-70/30-mixed shit + keith richards testicles vs. drinking a pint of a street urchin's piss spiked with cheese heroin.

what i am trying to say is that both options are awful.

skeet ulrich's piss is already spiked with cheese heroin

I shelled out fifteen euros on a pair of havaianas when I was on hols in Italy last month. It felt quite decadent weeding the garden in them this morning! No way would I wear them for work, though.

guys... Crocs makes flip flops too, nobody has to lose this fight!

http://www.crocs.eu/shop/step1/details.php?id=10024

everybody loses that fight

GUYS Children of Men was a message for the WORLD not to wear flip-flops...you'll just end up in a street of ASPLOSIONS and there go your feets to oblivion.

Flip-flops hurt my archs SO MUCH, but it's so goddman hot her that wearing nice, sensible shoes is insufferable. I'm thinking of buying some Tevas-equivs, which I think is part of the uniform for biology majors, but I would feel like I was SELLING PART OF MY SOUL. O shoes, o feet, o heat.

abbott, crocs.

presidential crocs:

http://images.dailykos.com/images/user/1237/bushcrocs.jpg

no way. is that real? great doggy cap!

Crocs are so awful. Thongs/flip flops I wear. And yeah, I guess the toe argument (largely lifted from vice mag?) is fair enough, but they're way more fetching than crocs. In my mind I associate crocs with obese, chain-smoking single mothers.

I know that the material crocs are made of would wear through on me really fast: I walk usually 2-4 miles a day and they'd just get shredded up by: 1. the terribly unkempt & craggy streets & sidewalks of gravel and 2. my freakish feet, which seem to take a good 1/2 off a sole within one month. I have no idea how I wear out soles so quickly.

Wasn't the Vice Don't doll (guy version) wearing crocs with socks?

I don't know, but I recall they were (are?) always going on about how shit flip-flops are.

Geez, they're boring and unimaginative.

Crappy vice humor does not in any way invalidate argument against flip-flops.

Or crocs, for that matter.

for some reason i thought that real crocs were made of some space-age rubber material that was hard to kill
but that is prob something i made up, and i have never even tried on crocs to test that
xpost

how about Rusted Root concerts, do they validate any arguments re: flip-flops

NO QUESTION YES.

It is decidedly so.

I don't mind looking at peoples' feet/toes at all, but it does get kind of revolting when they obviously haven't showered for a couple days & their soles/toes are tarnished wholly with filth. Kids where I grew up called this "grocery store feet," I don't know why.

If you walked barefoot through a grocery store where I grew up, that's how your feet would end up looking. Crocs are pretty indestructible. I wonder if people can be foot-grinders, like grinding your teeth?

also the only place u go if u haven't showered in days is the grocery store, cuz u like have to.

um, yeah i firmly believe in good foot-care. it's a matter of manners. but i also bite my teeth, so...

lol, um, bite my nails? rather

i really was wondering why bite my teeth sounded weird...

no laces, no credibility.

"Grocery store feet":

http://www.phototravels.net/japan/pcd1663/foot-dirty-17.3.jpg

wow

My mom is in a flip flop "club."

Do they just sit around being disturbed by toes all day?

haha Rusted Root concerts, I've done that, smelled of patchoulis

yes patchoulis plural

OMG if I can find that pic of their bass player

I love to look at him; it's like Vic wOteen x thyat big cheeseburger eating guy + flip flops.

um a flip flop club? btw dog latin, it is possible to walk in flip flops and not do the big toe curl thing, u just have to be in the right place at the right time...

http://images.dailykos.com/images/user/1237/bushcrocs.jpg

I'm not sure what is worse, the crocs or the POTUS socks. (Given that I've grown used to that gormless grin by now).

OMG Ed that's exactly what they are. :D

You'd think if they can make special socks for the president they could also give him shorts that fit. Those shorts look like a damn skirt.

flip-flops on guys is just gross, fuck a hairy man-foot
flip-flops on gals is just lazy, unimaginative bullshit - probably means she's sloppy and not very demure (in other words, DUD!!)

he looks like he is going to enter a knobbly knees competition at butlin's c. 1955. He will no place.

SWM seeking demure squak

presidential crocs:

That's it I'm never wearing crocs again.

The material Crocs are made of is awesome, very light cross between rubber and styrofoam if you can imagine it. However they wear down very easy in situations Abbot describes. I got about three or four good months out of them, wearing them everyday in my daily commute which involves a couple of miles of walking on streets, asphalt etc. I'm sure on hospital floors they last much longer but on streets, not so much. They got completely slick on the bottom, very slippery, and after I fell and busted my ass, I stopped wearing them out of the house. Also they had dog teeth marks on them.

This morning I saw a goth wearing flip flops - Teva flip flops. He was not hot and the overall effect was disturbing. Also, his toenails were painted purple.

omg

btw those shorts really are a skirt

I waer the flappy things indoors, becuase thy'r easy to get on a barefoote, and because the squishyness is nice to my acheing feet!

a week ago i went to see a doctor about an ear infection. he was not that much older than me. was wearing crocs; I did no comment about this subject.

I believe they were orginally intended for the medical profession.

In downtown NYC:

The main people wearing crocs are young kids and their doofus, tourist parents.

The main people wearing flip flops are young frat/yuppie doodes, their waddling girlfriends, and middle aged fellows who wear Izod t-shirts.

well that's manhattan for you

But you have an ironic mustache, Andi, so you're not allowed to criticize.

She does?

The main people wearing flip flops are young frat/yuppie doodes, their waddling girlfriends, and middle aged fellows who wear Izod t-shirts.

Same here in SF.

well that's manhattan for you

no, that's his perception of manhattan for you. a lot of crocers and floppers are invisible to his eye of hate.

Her.

(J, I think the one photo of Andi I've seen involved some sort of fake comedy mustache.)

I disagree Michael... you'll find some chefs and gardeners wearing them too (as they have been for years).

And nurses/doctors.

quick stop at wikipedia : don't mention no links between crocs and medical profession except for some cases where they were banned from some hospitals for health and safety reasons.

blessed are those that cleanse their mind's eye from crocs etc . my favorite artefact for such ablution:
http://vivobarefoot.webfactional.com/files/AquaWhite_main.jpg

fresh white vivo barefootz kicking uor

made from freshly killed psychic substratum

Hospital personnel have been wearing washable clogs for decades, though -- as have commercial kitchen staff. Crocs are just another incarnation of the standard, but lighter and less expensive, I think, as befits something marketed to the general public but not under as much performance pressure.

You might not notice kitchen people in non-Crocs rubber clogs, though, if they looked like Danskos or something. Or WERE Danskos.

xxxpost

In the past couple of years everytime I've been in a hospital or doctor's office, almost every professional is wearing them. And one pair I've purchased was at a medical uniform supply.

had a pair of the vivo once and they were rubbish

The Birks gardening clogs look heavier and are probably longer-wearing than Crocs, but they're also $100.

http://www.footwise.com/footwear/selectstyles.cfm?topnav2=119&id=140620071323-578084&GCID=S6700x276&KEYWORD=garden+clogs

Of course they are rubbish: they are selling shoes that offer you "all the advantages of walking barefoot?" The only advantages I can see to walking barefoot are not having to purchase and put on shoes -- this is a losing game from the get-go!

"I'd like to combine the annoyance of wearing expensive shoes with the annoyance of really feeling every crack and pebble I walk on -- do you have anything that can offer me that?"

Exactly how disingenuous are you being, N? Or maybe lady shoes are just way way LESS like going barefoot.

Anyway, Crocs are like $35 even in Manhattan, that's cheap.

Laurel I'm talking abotu the Vivos! These look like just regular shoes with a special thin sole designed to give you unspecified "advantages of walking barefoot" -- like "oh, I want to be wearing shoes, just ones that don't really work, you know?"

Ohhhhh sorry, we xposted.

they are very comfortable ( where are those pebbles, lol) and I think they look very good. made with recycled materials, very breathing etc etc. probably will last me a couple of years.

but ugliness aside yeah I'm in the process of being convinced by the the rightness of the cause of the people's crocs.

Don't misunderstand me, Crocs are fucking ugly and I actually dislike walking in them b/c the size of the toebox is weird for my stride. But for standing around in the house or going to grocery I will champion them forever, esp since in le winter when it is cold you can fit yr biggest pair of wool socks into them.

So... what do you think of Dopies?

http://www.dopiewear.com/files/s9yImages/strap_nostrap.png

http://www.dopiewear.com/files/s9yImages/wearersview.jpg

You love them, right?

OMG I NEVER SAW THOSE BEFORE I kind of love them but I need big big arch support and cushioning for the heel strike = something that light will not work.

Also they may be awesomenezz but skateboarding in them makes about as much sense as riding a motorcycle w/o a helmet.

"wool socks into them" made me think of
http://helleranne.free.fr/sabot_serviettage.jpg

naked shoe for naked people = i approve of . and yes, just seeing images of unaccidented skaters wearing them makes me shiver.

my vivos did kind of fall apart

clear shoes, like wonder woman's jet

held together by ideas

OMG, I actually saw those for the first time THIS MORNING, and thought of this thread! They look ugly and dumb, and remind me of that trend around 2002 with the Fluevoggy boots that had cloven toes so you could pretend you were the devil and not just the male equivalent of those lame city pseudo-goth club teenagers in the 6-inch platform PVC boots.

Re: the "dopies," obv -- accurate self-deprecation of the brand name does not save those ridiculous things.

they remind me of fortune cookies crossed with some kind of doctor's office disposable instrument guard

Walking barefoot is one of my great phobias

Hahahaha an incredibly fucked up ladyman at a party last weekend did tell me that his favorite heels are the clear lucite ones, because when you wear them it looks like you're walking ON AIR. Yes, IF THE AIR IS INSIDE A PORN STUDIO STRIP CLUB??

Awww poor dopies xp

RJG: pics or it didn't happened

http://halliburtonwatch.org/images/clothes.gif

I like how he goes from "Saturday at the Michigan/Notre Dame game at Ann Arbor" to "Vaguely Middle Eastern."

Good work, Army Intellagince!

jagged, dirty toenails are not a good look.

TRUE!!! This is why I did not wear open toe shoes today. My feet are not up to par at the moment but at least I'm aware of that and keep 'em covered!

Neither are these tho:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c59/prozacncoffee/toenails2.jpg

Mine eyes!

Audiophile flip-flops, inspired by recording studios: Gravis Soundcheck

http://www.gravisfootwear.com/Products/default.aspx#/footwear/mens/sandals/49341

I hate myself for considering these:

http://static.flickr.com/73/167952036_f92d20d4ba_o.jpg

But it beats having extremely painful feet. Most of the shoes I have/wear are too narrow for me and the soles of my feet stick out. Or maybe it' sthe fact I have been standing way too much/long on my feet which cause my feet to hurt tremendously. (Hello retail how I love 'n' hate thee at the same time.)

So yeah maybe I should get a pair for the summer cause Adidas ain't that great for the hot weather.

Actually those are not the exact same ones. The ones I would like are dullish silverish or something.

I can't put anything between my toes without big, painful blisters. I am too tall to comfortably walk in heels. I have sensitive, wide feet. I hate summer, shoe wise. Bring me my boots!

I can't decide whether they're cute or ugly, but you know what? That means they might be cute. (And I wear comfortable, actually not cute shoes all the time, just because I don't have space for cute impractical ones.)

there are far worse shoes than those birkenstocks, which i wldn't even consider flip-flops - they look like they wld actually stay on yr feet more. naot sandals are also like birkenstocks but with different styles.

i still have not bought new summer sandals - my naots are like 3 summers old... - but am considering getting another pair of them or omg FRYE sandals why b/c they are nice

also GUH THOSE TOENAILS BARF

i actually like the birkenstock ones in bright, solid colors, but my feet are way too narrow for them.

I love those birkenstocks, but my feet are too wide at the top. I was very sad last summer when I couldn't get them, so I say if they fit, get them!

Does Ms. Gross Toenails upthread have to wear clown shoes? She probably sounds like my dog when she walks around. Oy.

Flip-flops can cause long-term health problems

i've always hated flip-flops. on top of being ugly, the noise they make annoys me on the same level as someone smacking gum. it just sounds slovenly somehow. they also destroy feet and cause cankles (imho). arches are sexy, flat feet with blisters aren't. and what's so hard about tying a shoe anyway?

http://www.westsiderydaz.net/Logos/WESTSIDE%20EMBLEM%204.jpg

omg what is with the "fit flops"?

i think i saw my neighbor waering them and was like 'dude u a sucker for buying $50 flip flops!'

I wore flip flops today because I got a pedicure over lunch. But now I am self conscious about how much I am flip-flopping around... they sure are loud!

I am not a big fan but do have one pair that I wear to appropriate places like, you know, the beach. It bugs me to see ladies on the train with flip flops but maybe I'd understand more if I wore heels to work and needed relief come commuting time idk.

I used a flip-flop to get around a nasty power bug the other day!

</nerd>

i have worn flops a few times lately to run to the grocery store, etc. bc i was too lazy for shoes, but it really is weird. i don't understand how ppl walk around in these for all the summer months without becoming gimpy from lack of support, stubbed toes, etc.

guys should never wear these unless yr showering at the gym or something

i have gotten nasty looks for accidentally stepping on/kicking peoples' flip-flopped feet on crowded subway trains. i respond with my put-some-fucking-shoes-on look

i support this thread

i wore flipflops with my hugo boss suit to a schmancy outdoor wedding and got like a million compliments (most of which were sincere)

for the curious fashionista: chocolate brown, old navy, costing an inflationary $4

i'm anti-flops

way to go

I'm pro them. I wear them everywhere except work and going out drinking etc and even then sometimes.

i wear these all the time

i would describe the color as, 3rd ring of oak tree brown

a little-known secret of flipflops is that they are incredibly fun to dance in

If you like falling!

i've never fallen while dancing in flip flops! and i'm not exactly a model of body coordination. maybe it's like playing the french open, you just have to slide a little more.

way to go

-- Tracer Hand, Thursday, June 12, 2008 11:23 PM (18 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

why thank you

Oh my, yes, flip flops are terrible for one's feet and legs. I have been on a sensible shoe campaign for years (largely to no avail, except for in my own choice of shoes). The easy acclimation to the slightly greater warmth of wearing shoes is far less trouble than sole and calf pain from wearing flip flops exclusively (tho I do wear them about the house).

It is 104º out and I'm still wearing pants and leather shoes.

Flip flops are awfully fun to dance in, tho, in part bcz they have lize zero traction so you can just slide all over the place, do the twist across the kitchen floor.

lol u guys dance

Flip-flops, or thongs as well call them down here, are vile! I hate them! And man-sandals, too. But then again I feel that feet (most people's, anyway), on the whole, are objectionable-looking things and should be hidden away.

This is why I employ a paper bag with holes cut in it. For my head. And Pabst Blue Ribbon 12-can boxes over my shoes.

For dancing, I buy leather-soled shoes that get nice and worn down and smooth on the bottoms. And if I have to have them re-soled, I get another layer of leather, not rubber, put on them. I need a shoe with sides and structure, otherwise sideways twists would roll my foot over and I couldn't do any stomping without a heel.

With the hot weather I've started seeing women in lovely dresses, some of them, and good accessories, and I think "Whoah, there are a lot of bad summer dresses out here but that one looks good!" and then I notice that the Style Icon is wearing plastic flip-flops. So sad.

I agree with Tracer, though, that if done deftly, the high/low trick of a good men's suit worn with nicer (leather?) flip-flops can be appealing.

Man I Love Flip-Flops

i have gotten nasty looks for accidentally stepping on/kicking peoples' flip-flopped feet on crowded subway trains.

i hate this! a crowded subway train/staion is an unpredictable and potentially dangerous place - cover your goddamned feet. the last time this happened, i was thrown by a sudden, complete stop and one of my feet came down extremely hard on the flip-flop clad instep of a fellow commuter. i apologized profusely, but the woman screamed at me for several minutes and then tried to push me as we both got off at the next stop.

I've been wearing some regular-ass sandals for the past few days, but flip-flops are out.

laurel oh man it's the best! you feel like you're in monaco or something. i feel all jetered out.

Loving the conflation of Lauren's ewwww feet and commuter lack of consideration bugbears.

A decent pair of lighter-weight, slightly loose pants with sandals changes your whole outlook on a summer day

I have those Birkenstocks up above--they are very comfortable. I think the proper name for them might be thong though.

I used to be incredibly anti-flip flop, but I have come around in the past year or so. The Havaianas are comfortable.

ugh ugh ugh @ suit with flip flops

making me physically sick just thinking about it

wtf is the matter w/ loafers no socks if u need to be breezy

decent chance people wouldnt notice

flip-flops are fantastic!

i've mastered the art of quiet flip-flopping, btw

my mom hasn't though, so the few times her Catholic guilt gets to her, we're always audibly late (doesn't help that she always wants to sit on the opposite side of the church)

first GIS result for suit and flip-flops:

http://www.zacefronpicture.net/photo/01-zac-efron-suit-flip-flops.jpg

Especially bad. Looks like his feet are bandaged, tie is awful, pants pull at the fly and are worn inexplicably low

he looks fine

He looks embarrassing, but he's also a terrible example of "suit with flip-flops".

not a suit! and barely flip flops!

max it wouldn't work in the city i'll give you that

Yeah, if the trousers don't match the jacket in some plausible way he's not wearing a suit. To say nothing of the length of his pants, which are too long for shoes, and with the flip flops will settle between unwalkable and prone to fraying. With the loose tie and shirt and everything he's some kid who was told to dress nice and didn't quite understand what that means.

To pull off a suit with sandles, you first need a summer-ish suit (i.e. light in color and weight) and the sort of confidence that is most easily found at the bottle of gin. Furthermore, you have to be wearing reasonably nice sandles, no flip-flops or shit like that. Leather straps, full soles, etc. These are a good start:

http://s.onlineshoes.com/images/br155/140033_366_45.jpg

In any case, I can't imagine why anybody would do this unless they were in a part of the world that already had this sort of thing covered in local fashion. So fuck flip-flops. Let them eat shit and die.

you guys would probably hate my tuxedo pants + t-shirt look!

those sandals are kinda blah, but better than flip-flops i guess
xpost

need some more pix to convince me that suit + flip-flops isn't a non-starter

The saddest thing about those rubber soles is that they won't even biodegrade when I throw them in the garbage.

there's no way i would wear those sandals.
The next progression from there would 3/4 length pants.

^flipflopchallops

strangely i have no pics from the two times i have done the suit thing (porto in the heat of summer; the smoky mountains this month) but er what can i say, it worked. my suit is dark but it's summer weight. it's really all about the suit, if it's good you can get away with murder (which is what i understand most people here see this as!)

you guys would probably hate my tuxedo pants + t-shirt look!

No way. Actually I don't know, I need PICS to evaluate.

http://www.gbpflag.org/files/115/_photos/Jeff%20Cowen%20with%20matching%20turquoise%20Crocs.jpg

Front page news here in Hawaii

I wear flip-flops to work, so I'm cool like a fox.

hyeeeuuuurgh, crocs, kill kill die die

useful: bottle opener flip flops

http://i27.tinypic.com/eafnva.jpg

lol

slippers, or "flip-flops," as the study called them

http://thepage.time.com/2008/07/06/obama-and-family-attend-sunday-bbq-in-chicago/

i'm anti-flops

^^^^^ used to hate them, then got used to them....sorta, now just want them to go away for a couple of decades

I'm pro them. I wear them everywhere except work and going out drinking etc and even then sometimes.

― wilter, Friday, June 13, 2008 9:24 AM (11 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

same here

mandles are worse

'mandals'I mean

Tell me of them.

I seems to me
you lived your life
like a mandal in the wind

I have friends who still wear Birks, and, unfortunately, I still have to hang out with them.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/tracerhand/porto_wedding.jpg

i hate open toed shoes on men but the other week i saw some dude in soho wearing like full on roman sandals that wrapped part way up his calves w/ some preppy shorts/shirt and i was like, hmmm

I rocked my flips all damn weekend, and never felt bad about it. Ever. EVER!!!!!!!

These things hurt my feet & have absolutely no traction but I am not opposed to them at all, on others.

I mean, I find them uncomfortable for walking 1+ mile distances, which I do every day.

i like flip flops okay but really u just have to take care of yr feet i think if u want 2 wear them

also i love the beach and swimming and like to feel close to these things even if im not, physically

Oh, totally. Any amount of walking = more substantial shoes. For sure.

Matter of fact, few things are as nice as coming back from a hike and changing out of your hiking shoes into flip flops before you even drive home. Or drive to get the obligatory post-hike beer. Mmmmmm....post hike beer in flip-flops.

can I have another weekend? Pls?

i like flip flops okay but really u just have to take care of yr feet i think if u want 2 wear them

True. Gotta get your feet did.

They're not v good for driving in, either, IMO. Pretty much I wear them around the house like slippers.

that is one thing that flip flops say: "right now i lazy and local"

Had to get used to driving with my flip flops on, but I got used to it surprisingly quick. Shows you what will power can do! :)

xp

"right now i lazy and local"

This is tru: I have twice worn my Crocs out of the house recently, in the nabe, to walk to someone else's house for casual tv watching. I only leave after dark, though.

that is one thing that flip flops say: "right now i lazy and local"

Entirely accurate. I never wear flip flops while travelling/ visiting other cities, etc.

As for driving, I take mine OFF and drive bare foot, and hope I don't get pulled over.

http://content.nordstrom.com/ImageGallery/store/product/Gigantic/6/_5802186.jpg

;_;

My sister-in-law bought me some gsus flip-flops once and I was like...'why?' inside but outside I was like 'thank you!'

i like plain old cheap ones. we're going canoeing soon. i've been told i need to wear something that really straps to your foot lest the river steal my flip flops, but i refuse to wear much less spend money on any of those awful river shoes or whatever they call them. so i'm just gonna take my trusty utility knife and some shoe laces and make my flip flops riverproof.

also, a joke a friend made up:

what does a guy with two left feet wear to the beach?

flip flips.

Actually I think Tracer's point about "local" is 100% correcto and I would mind flip-flops less if people had let them remain a symbol of leisure relaxation-time. I dislike them when people want to extend their "leisure" to all parts of their day, like, "I might have to go to work, but I'm really wild and crazy!" Or whatever variety of subtextual messages are there.

Cue four people telling me that I'm overthinking a matter of simple comfort.

OTM. I never understood interns that would wear flip-flops around the office in the summer. Yeah, it's a super casual office, but more important, it's a place where you'd like to be employed someday. Also, it's in the middle of Times Square, not a beach. (Damn kids these days...)

I would NEVER wear flips in NYC during the work week. WAY too many potential foot harming items - feet, cars, dogs, carts, etc.

And yeah - interns? Step up your game.

wait are there actual laws against driving barefoot? I just figured this was something my mother told me not to do just to be a pain in my ass.

I got called out on it by a cop who pulled me over for speeding, but he was just admonitory about it. No idea if it's an actual violation, but having tried to do it recently, you do give up some control that you get with shoes.

i hate open toed shoes on men

^^^^ This.

I would NEVER wear flips in NYC during the work week. WAY too many potential foot harming items - feet, cars, dogs, carts, etc

Wearing flip-flops at theme parks like Disney World makes NO SENSE. It's like these people are begging other pedestrians to smash their feet or drop ice cream cones on their toes.

Or for your shoes to fall off on rides!

There are no laws against driving barefoot in the United States.

wait, if they are made of leather then you can call them 'thongs' and exempt yourself from these socio-sandal standards y/n???

I'm not sure how I could better control a car with shoes than without? Please explain.

All I know is that driving in platforms can, in fact, fuck up your feel for the pedals.

Yeah, my sister totaled her car in a front-end collision doing that.

i wear cheapo foam dealies in the shower at the gym but that's mostly out of fear of plantar warts. i have a nice pair of leather thongs but they are primarily for the beach & assorted clounging activities. most other times i have too much walking to do and hate the sound they make when sweaty.

also, i tend to respect that many people have hang-ups re:feet and i'm not a footsibitionist.

That's odd, I was told that driving barefoot was illegal when I was learning to drive.

It's been a long time since I was a driver, but iirc, automotive pedals assume that your foot is a flat platform, and not too bendy. When your foot is not flat, and is, in fact, bendy, I think it takes away from your range of safe reaction choices.

i can’t help feeling mad vulnerable if I would wear these anywhere but in my yard or something. it’s not like I go around getting into fights but I’m not going to get caught out there getting stomped by some dude while I flip-flop my way around.

you do give up some control that you get with shoes.

I regard this as totally untrue. I find I am a much better driver in bare feet.

Maybe there's some variation by foot size in relation to distance of pedal from floor, pivot point of pedal action, shape of pedal surface, and so on? For someone w small feet, only the toe of their shoe might be on the contact point.

elmo otm.

Laurel, do you type better with gloves on or with bare fingers?

Hahahaha. PP, I wish I could humor you and your terrible analogy, but as someone with size 7 feet, I remember driving barefoot, and I remember only being able to reach the pedal with my toes and having my foot slide off it.

Oh I guess I always drove a stick, does that make a difference? Lots of foot action required.

i haven't worn opened toed footwear since I was about 11 years old but lately I keep seeing nice sandals around, have considered buying a pair.

havaianas suuck btw

flip challops

; )

I'm for some flip-flops
― cozen (Cozen), Friday, July 15, 2005 7:37 PM (5 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

f u