FOUND: the best walking sandals in the world ....

[Smiles]

..... IMHO.

I would venture a guess that while in Thailand I wear sandals 75% of the time. I would also venture another guess that you do as well.

I don't mean flip-flops (hate that in-between-toe-gripping bra strap style). I don't mean those flimsy who-knows-what-that-material-is thin-soled Tesco/Lotus cheapos. I mean good substantial leather sandals . . . the kind you can walk miles in and still feel comfortable and un-chafed. The kind you can slip on with long pants and still feel properly dressed in the evening. The kind you'd never think to wear socks with.

So I've found them! And you should rush out and purchase a pair ... or you are doing yourself a disfavour.

These fabulous Rockports are available at 'around' 100 bucks (give or take) . . . or if in Canada you can get them at The Bay for 30-50% off every month or so (now ~ at mid-summer ~ is a great time). These puppies are worth every satang and will carry you to heaven at every step.

Not sure of the model name, but just look for the charming little tan leather crosshatch on the straps.


http://www.photodump.com/direct/sawatdee/sandals.jpg


Cheers ...


( Modeled by Dave [Smiles] )

[Monty-old]

Smiles, I will get in first,
Do you only have one foot, I hope the other is not in your mouth.

[Smiles]

" ... Smiles, I will get in first,
Do you only have one foot, I hope the other is not in your mouth ... "
Why do you think I took the other one off? To show you the brand??

No Monty, you insensitive bitch ... I am endowed with a disgusting and socially unacceptable nail-less big left toe and a club foot which would make the Hunchback of Notre Dame prime off-ing material at Throb or The Enchanted Slut.

Feel any better now?

And yes .. I expected it :spiderman:

Cheers ...

[GWMinUS]

Are those Dermatophytes crawling out from under you big toe nail???
maybe you should ask your Doctor for Lamisil???
:blackeye:

[Smiles]

Do I deserve this? http://www.doctorfungus.org/thefungi/Epidermophyton.htm

Cheers ...

How do they look with black socks?

[Smiles]

" ... How do they look with black socks? ... "


http://www.photodump.com/direct/sawatdee/sandals-black.jpg


Cheers ...

[bing]

I am sure the rockport is a good sandal, but if yo are going to go with sandals, IMHO the top sandal in the world is "Birkenstock" The cork foot-bed molds to your foot and is PRINCEPTS FACAILE the very best. If you prefer rockport, we can chalk it up to taste and there is no dispute concerning taste. You might look up the design of Arizona at WWW.birkenstock.com (http://WWW.birkenstock.com)

[bedbugy1-old]

i'l stick with my faithful bata flip flops at least they'l not be stolen when i return only 49 baht

[painai2]

Sandals are definitely much better than shoes with socks with a sudden downpour and going through puddles is no joy.

IMHO the top sandal in the world is "Birkenstock"

Are you a dyke?



How do they look with black socks?"
When ever someone is tempted to cast aspersions upon the wearing of socks with sandals they should first remember your With \ Without photos--The question then becomes redundant.
But please stop washing your fuzzy black socks with your fuzzy white (Angora? Marabou trimed?) granny-nighties and avoid all those tiny lint bits.

[Aunty]

I like Ecco's sandals.

yucky foot..but does he have 2 of them ?

I can back up Smiles. I have tried (and ended up getting rid of) many brands of leather sandals over the years. ONLY rockports never hurt from the day you buy them. I've been wearing them for years. This is also true for all Rockport shoes also. I have two pairs of Rockport sandals at home and one pair I leave in thailand with the BF. I prefer the closed toe style so your toes don't get broken when stepped on by people in a hurry on crowded sidewalks. They are abit cheaper in the states than in Canada.. about $45 US when they are on sale or if you buy them at the Rockport outlet stores.

[piston10]

For a long time now I've been trying to work out, by reading between the lines and lining up the catty remarks, just what is de rigueur in the sandals/socks business. True, I have seen farang wearing shorts and sandals with black socks pulled as high up the calf as they will reach, and it doesn't look very smart. But that's not my real problem. What I don't know is whether it is always disgraceful to wear any colour of socks with sandals. Are white ones all right, or are they too "sharp" and flash? Are white socks only acceptable with trainers?

Personally, I never wear shorts in Bangkok, or anywhere else much, if it comes to it. So, can I wear long, casual trousers with sandals and appropriately coloured socks? What is appropriate? Should I never wear sandals with long trousers? Since I am not keen to display my toes in public, I shall never be able to wear sandals at all if sandals and socks are forbidden in all circumstances.

Oh, dear, my Saville Row tailor doesn't seem to have any ideas on the subject. Thanks for any clarification.

[Smiles]

Hi Piston . . . normally sandals should never be worn with socks. No exceptions.

Folks will of course wear what they damn well please, and all the more power to them. But just as loud and obnoxious people are a vexation to the spirit, socks-cum-sandals are an abomination to the Aesthetic Sensibility, one's own and ~ less importantly ~ others.

There's something about brown skin ("tanned" on us Indo-Europeans ... "natural" on Asians and others) peeking through leather straps (like the charming little cateye-like yellow turn signals on a 1983 Camarro) which calm the soul (sole) and inform an onlooker that the wearer intuitively understands the inner meaning of "casj" as he walks along with a nuanced and ever-so-quiet flop flop sound and the spirit- freeing knowledge that his feet are subtly encased as they should be ~ yet not quite naked and vulnerable, but as close as one can come to that.

The sandal-avec-sock destroys this dialectic in as dramatic a fashion as Marx's was at the fall of the Berlin Wall in the late 80's.

The pinching "look" of the disgraceful duo screams inner turmoil. Exemplifies the tightass-nature. Amplifies the tension between true freedom and comfortable compromise. Causes the observer (undeservedly!) to experience an unexplainable knot in the stomach which can only be alleviated by fleeing the scene ... for a stiff double shot of Isaan country whiskey.
And even worse ... the darker the sock the more angst can be felt all around, (except by the wearer who remains pathetically oblivious to the turmoil he is creating. I am reminded here of the ghastly fascination in the upwardly-lifted horrified eyes of the New York folks who witnessed the first plane crashing into the World Trade Centre ... same kind of thing).
A sandal without sock is a statement. A sock in a sandal is a capitulation.

Having said that (and to respond to a question): it is highly desireable to wear nekkid sandals with long pants. Somerset Maughn did it in Chiang Mai and Raffles of Singapore, and so should you.

But be careful! Dark pants with sandals simply look unthoughtful, so avoid this choice like you would avoid choosing a fat and facially pockmarked Thai GoGo boy just because you are blitzed outta your mind and he's the only guy left in the joint at 2AM. This goes especially for black pants, but dark brown are nearly as bad (does anyone actually wear dark brown pants anymore?).

The pants chosen to accompany the sock-less sandals should be of an off-white, cream, tan, or light brown (at the most!) colour: the breezier the fabric the better so the cuffs blow slightly upwards (Marilyn Monroe-like) in the gentle wind . . . enough to attest to the world that you know exactly the right way to wear sandals.


Hope this helps and cheers ...

I guess I don't dress my age. The only "Pants" I bring to thailand are Jeans. Though soon to turn 50, the idea of wearing "Dockers" on vacation somehow reminds me of my father.. whom I definitely don't want to look like while trying to look "hip" LOL

[piston10]

... thank you for your beautifully turned, witty and informative reply, the wide-ranging cultural references and carefully placed italics of which implicitly recognise the importance of the topic.

So, I'm well and truly stuffed, aren't I? I suspected the bad news because I realised I had painted myself into a corner. Really, I was hoping that at least I could wear sandals and socks with long trousers; but no, it was not to be. I loved your evocation of the physical and spiritual benefits of going sockless, but, although there's nothing especially wrong with my feet (6 toes all pointing the right way, etc.), I've just never flashed them around, and it's a bit late to start now. (Because it's reassuring for one's self-respect to feel that there's at least one part of yourself that you've never flashed around?)

So I can't become a sandal person in Thailand. I'll still be tempted, I'm sure, but would anyone dream of trying to saunter confidently up and down the sois we all know and love, fearful that the ranked spectators might be giggling, or snorting, behind their G & Ts?

By the way, is wearing socks with sandals as bad as eating breakfast, and even other meals, wearing one of those caps with an enormous brim in front? Or wearing one of those flappy shirts that look like advertisements for tropical cold drinks - 'made from concentrates'. Say 'Yes', and that will help to keep me out of sandals!

(Actually, what with farang applying their very varied criteria and Thais looking you over critically from head to foot, I find it quite difficult to do the right thing sartorially in Thailand. There's always a consideration you haven't foreseen. A funny one. I went to collect a boy from a bar at a prearranged time late in the evening. Wore white trainers, levis and a neatly cut black shirt - all very tasteful and modest. The boy went backstage to dress and appeared wearing ... yes, white trainers, levis and a black shirt less well cut than my own. I was quite taken aback at his clearly angry, "Why you wear clothes same me?" As it wasn't planned we should be wearing clothes for long I just shrugged and hoped the problem would pass. It did.)

you can wear jeans and sandals, but where ever you are it will look as bad style to wear socks and sandals not only in Thailand, but also i Europe, simply a matter of bad taste . BTW I love Ecco sandals

[Smiles]

" ... you can wear jeans and sandals, but where ever you are it will look as bad style to wear socks and sandals not only in Thailand, but also i Europe, simply a matter of bad taste . BTW I love Ecco sandals ... "
Au contraire . . . jeans and sandals (sockless, need I say) work beautifully together.

Certain styles of jeans however are a total disaster, not only with sandals, but with anything else. I speak of course of the very thin and ankle-hugging style which was worn in the 70's and early 80's (and are still worn today by Germans ~ who like to cut them off at the testicle-line ~ and prostitutes) which are unfortunately making a desperate (hopefully please God!) unsuccessful comeback.
Tight jeans can be worn by just about no one over 20 and should not be attempted under any circumstances. Baggies (or for the elders) semi-baggies, go best with sandals.

Cheers ...

SOCKS and SANDALS-
Who cares whether or not people wear socks with sandals or what colour the socks are? Why must we conform to someone's idea of style?
I for one will always wear socks with sandals because , if I do not, sand flies and mosqitos attack me. Black socks with sandals are the best protection against insect bites on the feet and ankles.

"Au contraire . . . jeans and sandals (sockless, need I say) work beautifully together."

Smiles, just what I was trying to say ;-)

SOCKS and SANDALS-
Who cares whether or not people wear socks with sandals or what colour the socks are? Why must we conform to someone's idea of style?
I for one will always wear socks with sandals because , if I do not, sand flies and mosqitos attack me. Black socks with sandals are the best protection against insect bites on the feet and ankles.

You are free to buck style trends and dress as you like. Just don't be surprised when people shun you because you look like a ridiculous oaf.

[bao-bao]

Being somewhat self-conscious about my feet (no, they're not hideous) and for my own comfort walking I wear socks with my sandals all the time. I don't do the "white socks with dark sandals" thing and try to be aware of what else I'm wearing, and just try to be good natured about it when people have the ill manners to be rude about it. Dressing in a respectful, neat and appropriate manner is a lot more important than whether or not the clothing is the proper style or brand. There's so much more to life than Brand Awareness. Anyone I'd want to be friends with wouldn't give me true grief about that, and the others I don't let bother me.