I second the above, but would add that in any case, footwear alone will never be a dealbreaker. (Unless it were spike heels or something; I might draw the line there.)
Sandals on men–Sexy Sexy Sexxxaaaay!
Why? Because men in Birks or Chacos (like Tevas, but better) are usually into outdoor sports.
My husband, who obviously has good luck with the ladies, almost never wears closed shoes. He wears Chacos almost all the time. With or without socks. He wears Birk sandals some of the time. For very cold weather and/or dress-up occasions, he wears Birk clogs.
So if you see a tall, broad-shouldered rugged outdoorsy sort with a bald head, shades, goatee, and fabulous forearms wearing Carhartts, a hawaiian shirt, and sandals, even in the dead of winter, you’ve seen my husband.
I like sandals. I like seeing other people wear sandals. I wear socks with my sandals (flip-flops). I especially like seeing a man with toned, tan calves wearing shorts, white socks and sandals. IMO, short skirts should not be worn with casual sandals. Sandals should look nice and not like you’ve had them for six years. Feet should be clean when wearing sandals without socks. Socks should be clean when wearing them with sandals. Sandals with socks do look better with pants, but, as mentioned previously, the shorts-socks-sandals combination is not always a bad thing. Almost forgot: thick socks look awful with dressy sandals. Thin socks might look awful, too, but I can’t recall ever seeing anyone sporting that look.
Think I’ll chime in a guy who wears Birks:
reason: comfort. They don’t constrict like some dress shoes and it sort of gives the feeling of being barefoot without having to step on rocks, twigs, gum, etc. It’s probably the same reason that ladies wear sandals during the warmer weather. As for other details, I only wear them during the spring & summer and never with socks (ech!). I do keep my feet cleaned and the toenails trimmed, but the little bits of hair stays. I can shave my face but I can’t shave my feet. sorry.
If my choice in footwear becomes a dealbreaker for some women, fine with me. Chances are they’re too shallow and soon they’ll be nitpicking over my shampoo, underwear brand, favorite pen, desktop background, and many other mundane items.
I can’t be prejudiced about sandals–I wear either my Birks or my Tevas 80% or more of the summer. I’ll bust them out in warm days in March, and wear them into October or even November. My Teva tan lasts all year round. So, if I’m such a sandal lover, how can I be mad if a guy is, too?
Sandals around here have become ultra-common. Opposed to the Aussie thong-wearing ideal (thongs being the rubber things on your feet, not the floss between your butt cheeks), most young people now wear sandals during the hot months. Nothing uncool about them at all.
I personally think they look a lot better than running shoes or tennis shoes with socks – plus they’re much cooler.
They’re also great for water activities. I prefer sandals for sailing and kayaking. They won’t fall off in the water like thongs and they drain easily.
Sandals with socks, OTOH, are a running fashion joke.
Hey, if I like airing out my tooties in the summer, why can’t a guy have the same opportunity?
My husband has a pair of thick, chunky soled sandals with two fat leather straps that criss-cross. I call them his “mandals”.
Why probably not fashionista worthy, sandals with socks isn’t the worst crime to be reported to the fashion police.
Well, by my count so far, the it’s-okay-to-wear-sandals group has a runaway lead at 18 to 4, with a couple of 'tweeners. FTR, I only put socks betwixt my feet and sandals when it’s chilly, such as summer nights here in the bay area, or possibly in early spring or late fall (which really is the same thing here, as there is no real winter). So, thanks, ladies, for restoring my faith in the fairer sex.
Count me with the sandal-wearing-is-good side. I wear my Birks (that I’ve owned for over 15 years now) pretty much all year round. My father wears sandals as does my brother, my husband and my son that’s old enough to wear shoes at all. My 3 month-old will wear them when he’s old enough. They’re good for the spirit!
Tevas are great. I liked the Tevas my boyfriend (now husband) wore to work, I bought a pair too. And yes, I wear them to work when the weather is hot. I have been living in them this summer. So has he.
You can’t dislike sandals if you live in California…everyone wears sandals!
Socks with sandals? Please don’t. Socks with clogs are okay though.
I wear Birkenstocks in the fall-winter-spring and “nice” thongs in the summer. Probably 95% of the time, excluding work which is a whole 'nother matter and has nothing to do with my personal taste or prediliction. Oh, and I DID buy a pair of those things that look like tennis shoes but are actually “slides”? And they are pretty comfortable too.
Why on EARTH would I feel that a man shouldn’t be allowed the same comfort I choose for myself?
What do you want to bet that the women who refuse to date guys who wear sandals or (gasp!) socks with sandals are the same women who whine that “there aren’t any good men out there”? Just a thought…
That article was pretty odd. Men with sandals is a deal breaker but no one mentioned smoking? As far as I know, that’s pretty much the dating deal breaker of the 90’s/00’s.
Curiously, the Wall Street Journal (admittedly, not the fashion trend leader) had an article yesterday or today describing how Brazilian flip-flops were all the rage.Wow! I thought I was just reading this for fun, then I read burundi’s post and I just had to jump in here and say “Thanks, burundi”.
I wouldn’t date a man that was wearing sandals in public. When I say that, I mean that if a guy came up to me wearing sandals and asked for a way to get in touch with me or see me again, I would tell him no and walk away. He’d probably also be wearing khaki pants and really into outdoorsy stuff, which I’m not into. So I guess for me it’s more like an announcement of that person being typically the kind of guy I have nothing in common with. Much like my top hat says “I’m kinda weird, and if you don’t like kinda weird people, then you probably wouldn’t like me.”
I don’t wear them myself because I think they’re silly looking, and while I don’t mind them on other people, I wouldn’t want them on someone that I was going to be seen with all the time. They’re okay for beach, boating, or whatever, but I think they belong in the same category as baseball hats and wife beater tank tops, which people wear all sorts of places that they shouldn’t, including nice restaurants.
Sandals with socks are just… wrong. If it’s cold enough to need socks, then wear a pair of real shoes.
And I’ve met lots of great guys, but they all wear boots.
I love men’s bare feet, but if they have to be in sandals, they’ve gotta be leather. Sandals made out of that “sporty” material look lame on guys, especially when worn with ugh colored socks.
As for styles, fisherman sandals (the ones with the closed toes) look best on men, but I wouldn’t push a guy out of bed for wearing open-toed ones. 
I love my birkenstocks and can’t imagine denying a guy the right to wear them they aren’t “pretty”.
Rule #1: If a woman can’t see past a man’s choice of shoes, he doesn’t need her.
Rule #2: If a woman is that hung up on fashion and what everyone else’s opinion is, she will have an extremely stressful life with all those added worries.
I am a huge fan of comfort. Wear what feels good and be yourself. To hell with living your life by the rules of fashion.
“I am a huge fan of comfort. Wear what feels good and be yourself. To hell with living your life by the rules of fashion.”
ABSOLUTLY!
As for me, I care nothing about what you put on your feet. I won’t “deal break” if you wear sandals!
However, I cannot STAND wearing sandals myself because I don’t feel comfy in them. See, anything that’s open-toed makes me feel vulnerable and I don’t like feeling that way. Clogs are an exception, but I don’t really count those as sandals per say, however they can be hard to walk in for me. Heheh…
“Boys who wear sandals probably don’t get many offers”- Kelley McNamera in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.