Beach Bling: The Latest in Flip Flop Fashion

Flip Flops are the very definition of summer beach attire.  They are practical as they protect your feet from the hot sand yet slip off easily when you’re ready to dip your toes in the surf.  They rinse off easily when you get home, and aren’t so expensive that you worry about loosing or ruining them in the salty ocean.  They can even have a dual purpose, as there exists an entire line of flip flops that have a bottle opener in the sole (hmmm, why didn’t I think of that?)

My son the surfer/lifeguard literally lives in flip flops and complains when he has to put on topsiders to go out to a nice restaurant, saying he finds conventional footwear “constricting.” He’s even threatened to walk down the aisle with his toes hanging out.  I was horrified at the thought.  Come to find out, it’s the latest thing in beach wedding attire. There are entire lines of sandals for The Big Day.  I found pictures to prove it (warning, if you’re a traditionalist like I am, you may find this photo upsetting):   

There is a time and a place for flip flops, and that time and place is at the beach for a day of summertime fun.

But summer is winding down and The Fashion Powers that Be have declared I must bid a fond adieu to my white shoes after Labor Day, but there is no rule that it’s time to give up the dark-colored flip flops---yet.  And I hadn’t planned too, especially since Monday it was 80 degrees and I was wearing shorts.  Still plenty of sandal-wearing season left.

But by 7 a.m. Tuesday the temp had dropped to 64 degrees and hasn’t budged above that since.  And to add injury to the sudden-change-of-season insult, it’s raining, as in historic-flood levels rain.  So even though summer isn’t astronomically over until September 22, my thoughts have turned from digging my toes into the warm sand to digging my warm toes into the sand. 

Wouldn’t it be great to have a pair of fur-lined flip flops to keep our toes warm at the beach?  Million dollar idea, right?  Not so fast, somebody already beat us to it: 

They look comfy cozy, don't they? But, alas, that was a fad that came and went quickly in 2004. 

The 2011 solution is a fleece-lined flip flop that, much like their Ugg-boot counterpart, is comfortable for both winter AND summer wearing.  They are called the Bonsai Sandal, and look like this.

They can be purchased for a mere $59.95 (plus shipping and handling) at http://www.bonsaisandals.com/ 

But I still don’t think they would be practical in the snow, which is coming soon to our New England home.

So my temporary solution to get me from warm-sand-in-my-toes days to warm-toes-in-the-sand days will be to wear socks with my flip flops:

I know I know. That’s a guaranteed ticket from the fashion police.  But at my age it is better to feel good than to look good.

Until next time, enjoy your day at the beach!