Chic but comfortable Summer sandals 2016

I think that you have to be more careful buying summer sandals than almost any other kind of footwear. After all, you are wearing them with bare feet so they are in direct contact with your skin. Any friction is not only going to hurt your feet but it is also going to create inflamed patches and hard skin which isn’t a good look.

Without you really noticing, the arch of your foot starts to suffer during your 40s. This is why your feet start to ache if you walk for long distances in completely flat sandals. Like it or not, you start to lose some of the fat from the pads under your heel and the ball of your foot. Apparently your feet get longer and wider and bunions are likely to form if you spend too much time in heels. It’s all bit grim but like most things, if you look after your feet and vary your footwear, a lot of these problems can be avoided.

Now I’m not for one second saying that you shouldn’t also have an array of beautiful sandals that focus more on form than function. I did a review on Boden’s Spring / Summer range which, although great quality, tend to fall more into this ‘hopping from one foot to the other’ category after a long day. It’s just a case of having variety and in this post I’m prioritising comfort, so I’m going to focus on two of the best shoemakers for this – Clarks and Marks & Spencer. Both companies invest heavily in the orthopaedics of the foot. M&S have their ‘Insolia’ sole which is podiatrist approved and Clarks have Cushion Plus.

Chic but comfortable Summer sandals

It was during a holiday in Marrakech, walking around the souks that I realised my arches were giving me problems. After wearing the same pair of flat sandals for 4 days, on the last day my feet completely seized. Since then, I’ve made sure that I have at least one pair of sandals with a small heel if I’m going to be walking for more than an hour. These are the sandals that I’ve selected this year for this purpose (I’m not sure who does the product naming at Clarks but it’s very odd).

Sandcastle Gem Also available in black suede

I may also buy these. At the moment I seem to be introducing black into my summer wardrobe which I don’t normally do. They have this year’s on trend ankle strap and Cushion Soft technology

Sharna Balcony also available in fuchsia pink

In terms of completely flat sandals, every year I search for something akin to the Tropezienne style that French women wear as they stroll along the beach in white linen in places like the Ile de Ré. Amazingly this year I think Clarks have cracked it. How chic are these? The other thing that they have thought about is grip. There are so many times that I have slipped wearing leather soled sandals on dry dusty pavements on holiday. These have an ‘athleisure’ styled rubber sole.

Seattle Spice also available in bright orange, snake and fuchsia floral

These have even more protection for your feet with an ortholite footbed so they’d be great if you’re going to be looking around ruins on a Greek island or taking a city break (don’t forget to alternate them with something with a bit more arch support though)

Viveca Aztek also available in a red/pink combo – it would be hard to choose

If you like a chunky, sporty profile, these look more like they’ve come from Whistles than Clarks

Romantic Moon also available in a lovely white/ice blue, black or orange with a pattern

In the same mood, the Originals range has these which have a moulded footbed in the style of Birkenstocks but the strap will avoid the cracked heels that you get with those.

Dusty Soul also available in black and conker brown

Skandi clog styles are big again this year and great for adding a nod to Boho. As you know I’m not a big fan of Boho but I think these would look great with cropped jeans or kick flares. Clarks have done them with a cushioned suede footbed.

Ledella Trail also available in black

For something a bit smarter these would look great with either skirts or skinny jeans

Florine Sashae also available in cream

I also really like these in classic summer tan (but I’ve no idea why they would name a summer sandal ‘fog’)

Jaelyn Fog

For anyone who likes a summer shoe boot, (always good for British weather) how about these

Image Jewel also available in black

And my final choice from Clarks would be these wedges but sadly I would tower over Mr MC who is only 2 inches taller than me. For once I think they’ve got the name right – they make me think of Rome. You really wouldn’t think they were from Clarks.

Amelia Roma, also available in Nude Pink

The sandals and summer shoes from Marks & Spencer haven’t been especially inspiring yet this season but they do have some of the key trends. When I did my huge cropped trouser order last week I added these to try. I’m wearing them with this summer’s other trend, cropped kick flare jeans but they’d all work with cropped skinnies too.

Suede block heeled sandals also available in mink and navy

These were comfortable although the straps didn’t hold them very securely at the back so I could imagine slipping off them and twisting my ankle

Marks and Spencer suede block heeled sandals

I’m not a big fan of dolly shoes but I quite liked these. The slingback made them less girly and they would be good summer work shoes.

Slingback dolly shoes also available in classic black and cream snake and blush

Slingback Dolly shoes

And the last trend I tried was mules – hello 1997, I’m straight back to the summer of maternity leave with my first son. Is it just me or does anyone else feel like gnawing their arm when people rave about the 90s revival? Surely it was only yesterday. Anyway I had actually forgotten just how very comfortable mules are. These are made from butter soft leather and although they look high, they really don’t feel it.

Autograph Mules

Marks & Spencer Autograph mules

So, there you have it – an extra post on chic but comfortable summer sandals to brighten up your Tuesday. Hopefully it has you thinking about summer skies and all the good times that are just around the corner. All shoes came up true to size by the way. Have a great week.

Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post