I am a firm believer that the most sensible type of shoe to wear when it rains during warmer weather is a rubber sandal. (Chris Black agrees.) Rubber boots are just too bulky and hot when it’s 90 degrees out, and sneakers, once soaked, stay wet all day long. Flip flops don’t work either, as they will flip dirt and dirty street water up onto the backs of your legs and your butt, which is never a good look, especially if you’re all about wearing summer whites.
Which is why Crocs are actually a great solution — but not the fugly kinds you can buy to look like a line cook or a disheveled off-duty actor. My go-to style, rather, is actually a sandal, which I think looks minimalist and sleek, with organic curved lines that (kind of) recall those of a Zaha Hadid building. (Less generously, I’ve also compared its look to that of diving flippers, and there’s something about them that even resembles a killer whale). Still, I think the sandals are, dare I say, sexy — and I’m not the only one. They actually used to be called the Sexi Flip; now they’re called the Serena.
I first discovered the style eight years ago while working on a movie on location in Newport, Rhode Island. Two of my fellow crew members purchased them for weekend beach excursions and bike rides along the famous Cliff Walk, and I noticed they transitioned seamlessly to nights at Clarke Cooke House among all those salmon-colored shorts. Perhaps the foam-rubber sandals’ most appealing (and alluring) detail, to me, is the thin T-strap thong, which tapers as it approaches your toes, and is dainty but durable. The sandals have a closed heel, which means no flip-flopping, and they’re easy to slip on, with a grippy contoured foot bed (which helps wet feet from sliding around in them), and the slightest bit of lift for extra support. I’ve worn mine to the beach, pool, on hikes, and in the most torrential of downpours, and they always stay securely on my feet. And, since they’re essentially plastic, they dry off in no time — which is great, because unlike other rain shoes, I don’t immediately feel the need to take these off once I’ve taken shelter.
I bought them in black, as they seemed the most versatile, but they also come in bronze, white, and a pool-appropriate aquamarine blue.
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