Flavor 1: The Viral Sandal That's Going To Get You Through The Summer
It also doubles as a beach shoe, a pool shoe, or an anywhere-you-wanna-go shoe.
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What: Pillow Slides, a supportive and comfortable alternative to slippers and flip flops.
Anything I should know?: Might be too wide for those with a very narrow foot, and Instagram will want to serve you ads for a $60 version of the same slide.
Okay, so you have slippers, you have sandals, but you don’t have footwear conducive to walking around your house in the heat of the summer. Shearling LL Bean moccasins and Glerups are wonderful but too sweaty for July, flip flops aren’t really getting the job done, but then where does that leave you? Wearing sneakers? Bare feet? Socks?
I was you once (two weeks ago). Don’t ask me what search term yielded this result because I don’t remember, but G-d bless the broken road that led me straight to PILLOW SLIDES:
Would this be the purchase to finally solve all of my problems? No, says my therapist before charging me $150, but I bought them anyway and so far no regrets.
Have you ever stood on one of those plush mats that they have behind the counters at restaurants and retail stores? They’re meant to help alleviate back pain and they really do work. Now imagine walking around with those mats glued to your feet. That’s what it’s like to wear these Pillow Slides, which you can get on Amazon and in a ton of different colors. (I got Olive Green.) They are sized for unisex fit, and give a dual-size option. I am a true 10.5 and ordered the 10.5/11 women size and they fit great. For those with a narrow foot, you may find these specific slides to be too roomy.
If you’re a beach goer, they’re perfect for that. If you’re a pool person, they’re perfect for that. Outdoor showers, check. Dorm bathroom visits, check. The gym! The spa! The perfect pedicure shoe.
I love how they are described on Amazon: The deep heel cup and concave vamp with roomy toe box wraps around the whole foot absorbing impact to protect your toes from kicking the table feet, threshold or stones.
Protect your toes from kicking the table! Who among us?
The goods: They’re quick to dry and quick to drain with a non-slip sole. The platform is plush and roomy, even if you have wide feet. They can be hosed down and washed with a little dish soap or even put in the dishwasher (though I haven’t tried the latter!). The foot bed is curved and hugs your foot so you’re not shuffling around in them — my biggest complaint about flip flops. They don’t squeak, smack or announce your arrival into the room. For a slide that looked so loud at first, I am surprised at how well they blend in with a casual summer look.
The caveat emptor: Some of the colors are on backorder, and there are a lot of dupes on Amazon. The specific ones I am linking are the exact ones I purchased so I can only speak to these. But there are a lot of the same vibe of sandal available. Be on the look out for Instagram ads that will serve you these exact slides for 3x the price. And as always, don’t leave these, or any shoe, in direct sun for a long time — they tend to warp.
That’s it! See you next week for another issue of Flavor of the Week! If you love it, send it to a friend. And remember to tune into Gee Thanks! every Friday and Tuesday. Miss an episode? Shop all of our recommendations here.