Slide sandals, or simply “slides,” can be a great option when it comes to casual summer footwear.
In the following guide, we’ll be providing some background on slides, including what they are and how to wear and style them:
After covering some elemental information on men’s slides, we’ll also be sharing some of our favorite slides that you can purchase directly on Zappos:
Use any of the links above to jump to a specific section, or continue scrolling to read this guide in its entirety.
Why Buy Slides On Zappos?
Zappos is a top online retailer specializing in footwear and accessories, and buying slides on Zappos has many advantages.
First and foremost, Zappos offers a vast selection of slides from various top brands. This means that shoppers can find exactly what they’re looking for, whether they prefer slides made from leather, synthetic materials, or even eco-friendly options. Zappos also carries a range of sizes, so men with larger or smaller feet can easily find their perfect fit.
Another benefit of buying slides on Zappos is the site’s user-friendly interface. The website is easy to navigate, with filters that allow shoppers to refine their search by brand, size, price range, and more. This makes it easy to find the perfect pair of slides quickly and efficiently.
In addition, Zappos offers free shipping and returns on all orders, making it easy to try on multiple pairs of slides to find the perfect fit. Zappos also has a generous 365-day return policy, so you can take your time to decide if their new slides are the right fit for them.
Finally, Zappos has a reputation for excellent customer service. Their customer service team is available 24/7 to answer questions and assist with any issues. This means you can shop with confidence, knowing that Zappos has support available if you need it.
Top Men’s Slides On Zappos
- Style: Slides
- Color: Varied
- Pricing: $35 [Buy On Zappos]
The Adilette Comfort Slides by Adidas is a classic single-band slide featuring a Cloudfoam Plus footbed for comfort and support. We’re particularly fond of the simple design with the traditional three white stripes that Adidas has made so famous.
Wear these with a bathing suit for a sporty beach look, or pair them with active-wear shorts in the summertime if you’re not going for a dip.
The Adilette slides are available in a wide variety of colorways. We recommend the Navy Blue if you’re in need of versatile slide shoes for the summertime. However, plenty of bolder colors exist, such as Royal Blue or Scarlet Red.
- Style: Slides
- Color: Brown Leather
- Pricing: $85 [Buy Now On Zappos]
The Darwyn Cross Band by Rockport is a great casual slide for the summer. These slide sandals feature a leather crossband upper and an EVA footbed and shock-absorbent cushioning for extra comfort.
Put these on with a pair of khaki-colored shorts and a polo shirt for a classic summertime look that will fit right in at a backyard BBQ or a sunny day spent poolside.
These are available in “Coach Brown” leather and “Brown II” leather. We prefer the Coach Brown leather, which has a lovely sheen that looks great and adds a bit of formality to an otherwise informal style of shoe.
- Style: Slides
- Color: White
- Pricing: $40 [Buy Now On Zappos]
The Croco by Lacoste is a chic slide perfect for walking across the perfectly maintained grass that connects the tennis courts to the lavish mansion at your summer home in the Hamptons. But don’t worry, the multi-million dollar home is not required for these slide shoes, and they’ll go just as well at whatever beach or lakeside town you vacation at in the summer.
Pair these with green chino-style shorts for a fun look that will help to accentuate the Lacoste alligator logo. Alternatively, consider pairing them with white shorts and a bright polo shirt for a look that is chic and casual at the same time.
We recommend combining the traditional white and green colors for a clean summer look. However, these Croco slides are also available in several other colors like navy and black.
- Style: Slides
- Material: Leather
- Pricing: $160 [Buy Now On Zappos]
The Tarifa by Pikolinos is an eye-catching slide featuring a calf leather upper with a double criss-cross design. While slides are certainly an informal style of shoe, these are definitely on the more formal end of the spectrum and they are quite versatile.
Wear these on your next vacation to the Carribean or while walking around town at the shore this summer. The excellent leather upper gives you the option to dress these up a bit with a nice pair of shorts and a golf shirt.
Pikolinos Tarifa slides are available in black leather and light brown leather. We really like the light brown leather option, but these work just as well in black.
- Style: Slides
- Color: Varied
- Pricing: $145 [Buy Now On Zappos]
No list of the best slides on Zappos would be complete without mentioning Birkenstocks. In fact, the slides/sandals are so popular they could almost be in a category of their own. Yet, the fanfare about Birks isn’t undeserved, as these make for some of the most comfortable footwear out there.
As alluded to, Birkenstocks’ popularity has led them to be worn across the formality spectrum and often in settings that we deem simply too posh for exposed feet. Accordingly, we suggest wearing these mostly with shorts or swim trunks and perhaps with light-wash denim or linen pants if the opportunity arises.
Birkenstocks are available in seemingly countless colors and constructed from many different materials. Naturally, the style and material will correspond to the price point. The ones featured above, the Birkenstock Arizona with soft cork footbed, are some of the best and priciest, though you can indeed find this style for much less if you’re patient.
Men’s Slide Sandals: Where Do They Come From?
Many of us saw these in our college dorms, as allowing your bare feet to touch the floor in the communal showers was inadvisable. Their origins go back much, much further.
Ángel M. Felicísimo, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
As you can imagine, sandals are a primitive form of footwear. There’s not a whole lot going on in terms of construction, so it’s no surprise that they’re the oldest shoe style known to humankind. Interestingly, the oldest ones were found in what is now Oregon in the United States. Carbon dating puts them at approximately 10,000 years old!
Though this doesn’t necessarily apply to slides, the ancient Greeks and Egyptians wore sandals quite frequently.
In modern times, flip-flops became popular in the United States shortly after the Second World War. Slides have been right there with them the whole time, though their popularity is arguably not as ubiquitous as their thonged cousins.
How To Wear Slide Sandals
When the weather gets hot, working up the motivation to wear full shoes can be tough. Even the most dedicated of us will have days when even the lightest shoes are too much. Toe-flaunting controversy aside, it behooves us men to have some really lightweight options at our fingertips.
Flip-flops aren’t the only summertime footwear on the block, guys. Slides are great options that are equally as comfortable. They offer both a different look and relief for men who don’t care to have anything in between their toes.
Seasonality
Slides are for warm weather unless you are looking to intentionally contract frostbite. This generally means three months out of the year for many places in the world. If you happen to live in a tropical paradise like Hawaii, Santorini, or Jacksonville, Florida, you can wear them all year round.
For those of us in more temperate climates, here’s a breakdown:
- Spring: N/A (unless it’s a particularly hot late spring day, in which case see the summer guidelines below)
- Summer: Bright colors during the day, black or brown at night
- Autumn: N/A
- Winter: N/A
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