Shoefinder: A Flip-Flops Rescue Mission

Today's subject is Beverly, pictured here with her husband, my college friend Ben, who she married despite no obvious evidence of a head injury:

Beverly, like so many of us these days, needs some new summer sandals. I was sympathetic to her plight, but didn't realize how serious the situation was until she mentioned that, in the absence of something better, she was in the habit of occasionally wearing Old Navy flip-flops. To work.

I should say, unlike Crocs, I have no intrinsic objection to flip-flops (though I personally do not wear them due to the fact that they tend to grind off all the skin between my first two toes and fly off my feet at inopportune moments). They are perfectly fine for their intended uses, such as keeping you from burning you feet on the sand at the beach, or infecting them with the dangerous foot germs of communal showers. But work, even work at a tech company deserves something a little better, a little more stylish, a little less. . . plastic. Here, then, I offer some alternatives.

I realize, in some ways, this is an uphill battle. There is nothing easier to put on, or more summery to wear, than a flip-flop (and I'm not even going to contemplate competing on price). So let's start slow here, with a shoe that's just a simple step up in shape. Isn't that better? And so easy! Not a work shoe for everyone, of course, but we're talking about an industry built around the distribution and wearing of free t-shirts here, so it should do fine. For a similar, if slightly dressier look, we also have these, or, if a buckle can be admitted, these or these or these, which have the advantages of hailing from comfort brands while not being ugly.

But, as I have mentioned before, there are different kinds of comfort. And really, what could truly be more comfortable than the knowledge that, on your feet are adorable sparkly ladybugs? Nothing, that's what.

Or, if we would prefer a more subtle, less scratchy approach to glamor, perhaps something almost sculptural, like these, would do the trick.

And then, we really should consider the question of loyalty. Why should a faithful employee of ebay leave the corporate nest to look for footwear, when there is so much right there on the site?  Not that the auction model is without its downside. Some of what's available is shockingly awful, other things are just gross.

But there are good things too, cute and comfortable and often a great deal (though you do have to watch out for those shipping costs. They really try and get you on those).And how can you get in trouble for shopping for shoes at work, when you're shopping for shoes from work? It's a win-win!

Which is better than a flip-flop, and doesn't make nearly as much noise when you're walking down the hall.