Chunky or slim, how do you take your summer flats?
You know I’m not much of a flat shoe kinda girl, but it’s undeniable how comfortable and easy flats feel in the summer when you’re trying to keep things a little bit more chill. This year the chunkier sandal seems to be dominating the high street with lots of Bottega influences. So slides with a plaited or woven detail are in abundance and it’s really down to you to decide on the detail and the budget that works for you. When I am looking at a flat pair of sandals details I consider are, how chunky are they, are they casual or can they be worn smarter, can I wear them when the sun isn’t shining as well as when we’re in the height of summer – because let’s be real our summer doesn’t always quite look like summer.
Black chunky leather sandals like a fisherman’s sandal or a Dr Martens sandal for example are perfect for wearing on those days when it might be raining, because your feet are mostly covered and the chunkiness elevates them from the ground slightly so you aren’t wading your way through puddles. A pair of bandana style Trekkies or raffia flatforms like those from Matalan may not be ones to wear for all manners, you might not even want to wear them when the sun isn’t shining let alone the rain. So as always, I would start first with what you have in your wardrobe and try to fill those gaps with what you feel your wardrobe needs.
The great thing about summer flats is that they can be relatively affordable, so you can experiment, try a new colour or a chunkier style than you’d usually go for and it doesn’t feel like too much of an investment or a commitment. For someone who definitely enjoys wearing heels far more than flats, I naturally gravitate towards a flat shoe in the summer and I’ve realised it’s because my hem line gets shorter! The shorter my hem line gets, the shorter my heel height gets.
This summer in particular though (the few days of sun we’ve actually had) I am finding myself reaching for chunkier sandals way more than I ever would have imagined. So although I am not all the way there with the cool minimalist girls in chunky fisherman sandals or Dr Martens Nartilla sandals (which I have been contemplating for a good few years now) I am definitely venturing away from the Zara Hermes dupes. When on the nursery run I have found myself reaching for a chunky pair of slides, like the Matalan braided slides or the raffia flatforms and the River Island dad sandals and animal print trekkies. I can’t lie to you, I don’t feel ALL the way sexy in some of these shoes and if I have to opt for a flat shoe for lunch in the pub on a Saturday, these may not be my choice. But for mum duties, casual bbqs and trips to the park and when I just want to feel a little bit “down”, I can get down with a chunky sandal. The comfort levels are unmatched and the chunkier sandals or a heavier set summer shoe tend to work better with shorter hemlines too.
Here’s my high street summer flats edit, from the perspective of a seasoned heels wearer. There’s some chunkier sandals, some more elegant and classic flats that come out each and every summer and some that you can wear both dressy and casual. Lots of the shoes in this edit I own and have been enjoying too! x
