SHOE GUIDE
How To Wear Men’s Sandals: Our Style Guide
A Guide To Men’s Sandals | What to Wear with Men’s Sandals
Question from an ardent reader of MrKoachman.com:
Are men’s sandals bad? What and how best can they be worn?
My Response: No, they are not bad. But just like every men’s footwear, we have today, sandals have their own unique purpose and function. Having said that, depending on the occasion and your outfit choice, one can decide if sandals are appropriate and can be worn.
To get started today, I just want to give you a heads up on the focus on today’s article – We will be talking about Men’s Sandals as well as The Dos and Don’ts when it comes to wearing sandals.
If you are someone who believes that fashion is about experimenting and you can wear any type of footwear for any type of clothing, then I suggest you listen up, pick this important information and then you can stop reading right now or go listen to some cool music on our entertainment page.
It’s important to follow the rules of footwear because the wrong footwear can mar the look of your outfit.
E.g. Wearing sandals with jeans and a dress shirt isn’t classy, but wearing a classy sandal with casual men’s shorts and a polo t-shirt is a perfect match.
Read on to learn more about this distinct type of footwear.
I am an avid preacher of looking good at all times as a stylish gentleman – so as a stylish gent, you should “never be caught unfresh” – another term for, you should never be found guilty of any fashion or style sin.
You never can tell who you will meet randomly at that supermarket shopping for groceries or at a hangout spot on a casual day.
I’ll share a quick story with you guys … a true story…
Recently I had a 7:00 AM meeting with Seun – a long-standing client of mine at his office in Victoria Island, Lagos. I arrived at the company’s premises around 6:20 AM and was just chilling in my car listening to my productivity music playlist as I planned to call him by 6:45 to let him know that I was around.
From where I was parked I could see the entrance of the building, and I watched a few staff of the company arrive and enter through the automatic sliding glass doors that led into the office building.
About 10 minutes after my arrival, I saw Seun park his car, hurried out, as he strode majestically towards the entrance of the building. From my view, I saw that he was wearing: a medium gray pinstripe suit, a crisp white shirt, and a yellow polka-dot tie.
I silently nodded my head in admiration of his perfectly styled look, then I quickly stepped out of my car to call him and let him know I was around, but man… I was shocked at what I saw!😲
Guys, I was disappointed, to say the least. 😞
This young man literally gave me the shock of my life…😲
I never expected Seun to be that kind of guy who would wear Crocs sandals with a suit.
I mean this is Seun – a classy man, a style connoisseur and the only guy that has won Best Dressed Man three (3) times in a row, at his Company’s End of Year Award night.
WTF!
Crocs are a type of sandal, typically worn as a form of casual wear. Seun understands this – so why is he wearing it with a suit ???
I starting making assumptions 🤔- “maybe he left his shoes in his car or in his office, but that’s still not an excuse“.😡
Seun, the stylish gentleman was caught “looking unfresh”, and through my expression, I didn’t hesitate to let him know that I was not pleased with his appearance that morning.
As I walked up to him, he confessed – “Kobi, I know, I know – I didn’t expect you or anyone else that matters to be around by this time. My apologies, left my shoe in my office yesterday when I was about leaving to go home after work”.
I responded “You dress for people? Well, at least you accepted the fact that you are guilty of an unpardonable style sin, but really…don’t be leaving your shoes at work, and no Crocs sandals with a suit ever!”.
“I don hear!” he retorted before changing the subject.
“Please wait for me at the reception, I’ll join you in a bit“, he said as he hurriedly rushed inside the office building.
If this incident reminds you of yourself, then we have work to do to change that narrative.
Before we begin, I want to put this out there so you won’t get any wrong ideas about my opinions. I have nothing against Crocs sandals or Flip flops, as a matter of fact, I do think they are comfortable sandals. But I also believe that they have no other place in a gentleman’s wardrobe outside his comfort zone.
Ready?
Let’s Do This!
Sandals 101 – Introduction to Men’s Sandals:
The ancient Romans and Greeks all wore sandals. However, sandals in today’s modern world have an odd place in a stylish man’s wardrobe. They are not as functional as other men’s footwear.
The Evolution Of Sandals
This distinctive footwear leaves most of your foot exposed. They are very comfy and seen as casual footwear mostly worn for comfort.
The word sandals originate from the Greek word sandalon or sandalion. Over hundreds or thousands of years ago, many men wore sandals, especially the Greek and Roman soldiers. The first known pair of men’s sandals in the world are over 10,000 years old made from sagebrush bark.
What We Think About Men’s Sandals
#1. They look really casual and made more for comfort than style.
Just like slingbacks, Birkenstocks, sliders or flip-flops, they are very simple and comfy for casual looks. Today, many celebrity influencers wear them in public (especially with athletic socks). Thus making their followers accept this as a trend that should be followed. Wrong!
Kanye West wore too-small sandals with socks at 2 Chainz’s Wedding
Back in the day, people were ashamed to be seen in the street in them. I guess time has indeed changed.
They are not appropriate for certain outdoor occasions or places such as country clubs, weddings, formal dinners or luxury restaurants. Of course, if you’re at the beach, anywhere within your home space or comfort zone, you can wear them. But other than that, skip them.
#2. They Are Not Meant For Your Workplace.
They may be convenient and casual such that you can easily slip onto your feet, but DO NOT wear them to work or for any business meeting. It only makes you look sloppy.
#3. They Can Be Bad For Your Feet.
They can be bad for your feet in the long term – especially if you walk a lot because the lack of structure and arch support is not beneficial to your feet.
Their open spaces make your feet appear bigger, unlike covered shoes that keep your feet enclosed in the space. These are all good reasons to skip the sandals unless it’s absolutely necessary to wear them.
*** Note: While sandals are not always worn for many occasions, there are always times when they are necessary. In those cases, we’ve come up with different rules to guide you when the circumstances call for it.
Sandals Guide: Do’s and Don’ts
For Formal native attires such as Agbada and luxurious native attires – loafers are still the best entry point when it comes to the appropriate footwear choices.
Also Read: How To Dress Up or Dress Down A Look Like A Pro – Outfit Formula by Kobi Koachman
Final Thoughts
Men’s sandals can be stylish only when worn correctly and only if you follow the rules listed above.
That will be all for today, if you do have any questions or comments about this topic, please share. We love to hear what you think and also assist in any way.
Did you enjoy reading this, please leave a comment down below and share with your friends and colleagues.
It will be great to have you as a member of our classy family.
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Until next time Gents, Continue to do well, live well and dress really well. Be Classy, always!
Yours in Style,
Kobi O. Mbagwu (Mr. Kobi)
Founder, KOBI KOACHMAN
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