Tips for Buying Sandals You’ll Actually Wear

Whether your age is eight or eighty, summer means sandals and bare feet.

However, many of us fall in love with a pair of sandals, only to end up tossing them in the stack at the bottom of the closet because they're just not comfortable. Others find they can't bring themselves to actually wear them because of the way their feet look.

By following a few rules of thumb, you can select sandals that will provide comfort as well as fashion, and you can bring your feet back to where they should be if you're going to bare your toes.

Some things to keep in mind when selecting sandals for proper fit are:

• Consider the heel height. Be sure the height is not unrealistic for comfortable walking.
• Consider the placement of the straps across the toes or across the top of the foot. Will they be comfortable when your feet are in motion?
• Don't buy any pair of shoes with the idea of "breaking them in." If they're not comfortable when you try them on, they certainly won't become comfortable later.
• As with other shoe styles, try sandals on late in the day after your feet have swelled to their normal size.
• Don't buy sandals or any other type of shoe when you're in a hurry. Take the time to actually walk around in them to find out if they're going to look good AND feel comfortable.