The summer sandals to invest in for 2021

Each year I make the same mistake.

I dither and delay over my which pair of sandals should be my annual investment piece; the pair to elevate all my summer dresses and jeans-and-a-t-shirt combos. A pair that’s everyday appropriate but happy-making enough for my hols.

I flip and flop so dedicatedly and for so long that quite often it’s halfway through summer before I finally commit to a vision for my toes, by which point the object of my attraction has often sold out in my size.

Not only that, but a sandal splurge begins to feel extravagant the closer one gets to September. Do not make my mistake. Now is the perfect time to invest, whether you plump for strappy or chunky, mule or slide. In the game of sandals, it’s the hare not the tortoise that’s a shoe-in.

Here are the four key styles to know:

Low-heeled mules

Gucci Zumi mules, £485, Matchesfashion.com

Reformation Shereen mules, £255, reformation.com

Mansur Gavriel Cammello mule, £345, mansurgavriel.com

Fendi Promenades slides, £510, Fendi.com

Aeyde Katti mules, £255, brownsfashion.com

Raffia & Rope

Chanel rope slides, £980, chanel.com

Bottega Veneta raffia slide, £750, Matchesfashion.com

Arizona Love Trekky in raffia, £125, matchesfashion.com

Fendi braided raffia slides, £580, Fendi.com

Isabel Marant rope sandals, £385, Brownsfashion.com

Clog On

Miista Hannah Ecureuil nubuck clogs, £230, Miista.com

Ancient Greek x Zeus + Diona The Harness slides, £320, Matchesfashion.com

Fabrizio Vitti clogs, £325, Matchesfashion.com

Coach Bleeker sandal, £95, Coach.com

Comfort’s King

Loeffler Randall Blaise sandals, £210, Loefflerrandall.com

Neous Cher flatform sandals, £550, Brownsfashion.com

Dior Act sandal, £890, Dior.com

Dear Frances Tye Slide, £330, dearfrances.com