The year is 1994. Keanu Reeves is the biggest box office heartthrob on the planet, Donald Trump is saying stupid shit on TV, and pool slides are the epitome of style for an entire generation.
Twenty-five years later, and we’re right back where we started. Who would have thought the most comfortable footwear you can sport in the summer would become the most trendy, too?
The resurgence started a few years ago, with the iconic Adidas Adilette stripe pool slide sneaking its way back into fashionable folks’ closets (and onto their feet) with everything from rolled jeans to a breezy summer suit. If you’ve been looking for a way to free your feet with all your casual ’fits, the pool slide trend is it.
Adidas Adilette Stripe Sport Slide, $45
The OG. Contrasting stripes pop against the geo-molded straps of these throwback slide sandals. It takes a little time to break in the footbed molding, but once you do? They’re <chef’s kiss> perfection.
Old Navy Faux Leather Pool Slides, $15
These Old Navy slides in “Galactic Green” looks way more expensive than they really are. They’re the perfect pair for a guy who wants to wear sandals with his more dressed-up outfits, while saving his wardrobe budget for the latter, and not the former.
Kenneth Cole Slide 4 Pride Sandal, $60
In honor of Pride month, Kenneth Cole introduced a gender-neutral capsule collection featuring clothes and accessories designed with proud rainbow details. (They also made a donation to the United Nations Foundation in support of UN Free & Equal–a global program of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to promote the fair treatment and equal rights of the LGBTQ+ community. #fistpump)
Our team is very into these slides, which survived one member’s trek to Gov Ball and came out mostly intact!
Polo Ralph Lauren Cayson, $55
Are these tartan Polo slides kind of obnoxious? You bet. Do I like them anyways? Also yes.
Raydem Men’s Slides in Dark Blue, $16
I’d never heard of this brand before, but that’s the beauty (or is it menace?) of Amazon! These puppies ring up under twenty bucks, and while the other style on this product page is butt ugly, this pair is pretty freaking stylish for the price.
Cole Haan Grandpro Slide, $70
Beep beep: Vacation sandals coming through! This Cole Haan pair of slides would look just as good at dinner at your all-inclusive resort with a pair of chinos and a linen shirt as they would with swim trunks and a daiquiri at the pool the next morning. The quilted footbed is stupid comfortable, to boot. Err, to sandal?
Frye Evan Slide, $98
Camo, but make it cool. This printed, vegetable-tanned leather pair of slide sandals looks sophisticated enough for hot days in the city, and is perfect to pack for a weekend at the beach. The rubber soles offer surprisingly good grip support, which is helpful when the sand gets too hot to walk on barefoot.
American Eagle Slydes Cyber Dark, $40
One of my friends and her male roommate have the exact same Adidas slides, both in black, in about the same size (she’s got big feet! Let’s not make a big deal of it, guys!). If one of them would just switch over to these aggressively fun and still stylish slides, they’d never mistakenly slip into the other’s sandals again.