While the end of summer and vacation is usually a painful time – leaving us in a state of disarray not unlike that of an ecru linen suit the morning after a grape harvest festival – this year it felt more like a true liberation. After weeks spent unwillingly observing an excess of dirty feet, uneven nails, and toes that were too short, too long, or too hairy, the hope of a return to normalcy was finally within reach.
This past season was, indeed, the season of the flip-flop. Driven by global media hype, boosted by a host of celebrities and some particularly irritating micro-trends (most notably the excitement over a basic model sold for €780 by The Row), the success of this summer sandal – first developed by the Egyptians as early as 5,500 BCE – was such that it eclipsed the mule, which had been widely popular in recent years.
Lightweight and easy to wear, unaffected by water or sand, available in a multitude of colors and sometimes even beautifully crafted (the models from Rondini or Island Slipper, designed in Saint-Tropez and the Hawaiian island of Oahu, respectively, are quite respectable examples), the flip-flop has qualities that make it indispensable in the right vacation setting. On the beach, it even offers unmatched freedom of movement. That is precisely the point at issue.
Just as a quick-drying swim trunk – no matter how stylish or practical – will never be a proper city short, mainly due to its inner mesh lining being incompatible with underwear, flip-flops will never be appropriate for city life, and not just for aesthetic reasons. Unlike the mule, which covers the toes, the flip-flop leaves them exposed to a host of hazards inherent to urban living.
For example, walking in flip-flops on pavement offers, all at once, the chance to stub your toe against a raised cobblestone, to wedge some kind of debris under your nail, to watch stagnant water from a surprise puddle roll along your arch, or to fall while trying to run after your accelerating bus – all under the gaze of onlookers alerted by the slap of your flip-flop against the pavement. The verdict? Don't hesitate: put them away.
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Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.