Getting sandals right is the footwear challenge that defeats more men than probably any other because the margin between looking relaxed and considered and looking like you’ve given up on your feet is much narrower than it appears. The main thing we’ve figured out is that simplicity is almost always the answer. A clean leather sandal with minimal strapping in tan or brown works across more casual summer situations than anything more elaborate. Avoid anything with too much going on strap wise because complexity in a sandal rarely reads as interesting and more often just reads as visual noise. Foot maintenance matters more with sandals than with any other shoe for obvious reasons and this is worth attending to properly rather than hoping for the best. A simple Birkenstock adjacent silhouette or a classic leather flip style in a neutral colour covers most summer casual situations without requiring much thought.