The odds are that some of your fondest childhood memories include running around in rubber flip-flops to save your feet from scorching hot sand. And yet, the hard-working, nostalgic summer shoe rarely gets the respect it deserves, relegated as a fashion faux pas for anywhere other than the surf (unless it's the nail salon's foam disposable slip-ons to save your pedicure).
But today’s best flip-flops are changing the status quo. These sandals command respect, and no one—not even the most judgmental footwear connoisseur—can deny their resurgence. Luxury designers are remixing the basic sandal style with elevated materials, like leather, and adding height and mass to the notoriously flimsy soles.
