After yet another wet, cold, grey and long winter, spring is finally here! After suffocating our feet in thick socks and boots for 7 odd months, it is nearly time to release our feet of their confinements, smarten up our sad, pale toes and slip them into some sandals!

A good pair (or couple of pairs) of sandals are vital for the summer. They’re practical for walking around on summer days, keeping you cool and letting your feet breathe – bliss. However, you also want these pragmatic pieces of footwear to look good, feel good and last, right? So finding the right brand and the right shop is vital for your sandal hunt!

A lot of high street shops sell cheap sandals that look great, are very fashionable but fall apart in a few weeks, blister your feet horribly, make them pong and are awful for foot support. High fashion designer sandals are great if you’re willing to splash the cash as they tend to last quite a long time and are very stylish. These are the two extremes, but what I like to purchase are the ones in the middle – the good quality fashion brands that don’t cost the earth and don’t destroy your poor feet.

These sort of shops are unfortunately the ones that seem to be the hardest to find and are now based mostly online. My favourite brands for sandals are Clarks, Adesso, Earth Spirit and Marco Tozzi. Whilst fortunately there is a Clarks in nearly every town, the other brands are slightly harder to come across which is why I turn to shop online at stores such as John Martin Shoes.

There are several important reasons as to why you should try and resist the lower quality sandals in high street shops – as pretty as they may be. Whilst men’s sandals tend to be made a little sturdier (men’s shoes in general are), women’s sandals are renowned for being made of very flimsy material causing safety hazards through tripping, foot conditions and skin conditions – not great! They will not last long and start to look very worn and cheap very quickly as well as being pretty terrible for your feet.

So, we’ve established why good quality sandals are so important, so let’s move onto this year’s styles! The brands I have mentioned above all offer a variety of sandals but I think Adesso has won for originality this year. Offering brightly coloured, light weight, hand-woven and fully flexible sandals, your feet will not only make you look like a rock star, they’ll also make you feel like a rock star with how comfortable you are – you’ll be able to walk, dance and jump for miles! Equally as good quality but not as vibrant, Clarks range this year centre in wooden, cork and leather. The earthy base colours for their sandals will make them easy to match with any outfits. They have a variety of heeled, wedged and flat sandals in all styles; I’m looking forward to getting my hands on a pair very soon!

So whilst you’re picking out your sandals for this year, bear in mind the impact of shoe quality, how comfortable they will be in the long-term and of course, how good they make you look and feel.

Happy sandal shopping!