FOOTWEAR Flip-flops and sandals are summer shoe-in

Footloose and fancy free will be the fashionable way to go this season.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Fashion has finally freed the foot. Toes no longer languish in leather. Heels can breathe the open air, unhindered. Flip-flops and slides, sandals and mules rule the day -- for women and men -- and it looks like they're here to stay.
Yes, the flip-flop, once relegated to the beach bag and the back yard, has turned out to be more than a one-summer fashion fling. They've hung around so many years, flip-flops have become their own category of warm-weather shoes -- as respectable as mules and as common as loafers.
The barely-there shoe just makes sense, says Liz Epstein, co-owner of FlipFlopTrunkShow.com, an Internet-based "flip-flop boutique."
Flip-flops have evolved in the past few years -- they're no longer so cheap and disposable. In fact, they've even gone high-fashion, Epstein points out; now flip-flops are designed by Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo and Helmut Lang.
"I sell some really dressy flip-flops," Epstein says -- including many to brides and bridesmaids (who plan to wear them during the wedding, not just afterward).
For men, slides and flip-flops are the biggest thing going. And men owe a lot to Dr. Scholl's, this year's sandal is sleeker, more stylish, with lots of leather, says Michael Augone, assistant manager of Larry's Shoes in Fort Worth, Texas.
Slides and sandals have been appearing on stylish men's feet for at least a decade, says Fred Whitley, store director for Larry's. But of course, many men are often more comfortable in boots than in Birkenstocks, so it's taken a little longer.
Mules are perfect if you want the comfort of sandals but you don't want your toes on display. These can be in casual leather with heavy stitching; a sleek, dressy leather; or even a stretchy athletic style.
Guys are loving anything made by Kenneth Cole Reaction and Johnston & amp; Murphy, Augone says. Women are buying casual sandals by Sugar Shoes, Reef or Tiddies.
For men
Beyond flip-flops, if you're the sort of man who leans toward a little more coverup on the foot front, here's a glimpse at stylish shoes for summer:
URemember know how everyone had to have bowling shoes last fall? The retro trend continues, but there are more styles to choose from. You'll find shoes everywhere that mimic old-fashioned sports styling -- wrestling shoes, baseball shoes, track shoes with those super-thin soles. Wear 'em with your jeans or shorts, in bright colors or unassuming neutrals.
UWatch your toes. Sure, sometimes you have to ditch the slides and wear dress shoes. Here's a tip: Look for a narrow toe. The wide, square toe is still being sold, but it's on its way out. So go for a narrower, more traditional-looking toe.
UAnother tip for feet that have to go to work: Wear brown. That's the word from Torry Gundy, assistant buyer in Men's Furnishings for Nordstrom. "All the shades, from chestnut to deep chocolate," he says, are selling.
For women
Keeping in step with the newest craze is easy for women who have the following choices:
UFlowers have power. Yep, the trend has hit clothes and shoes simultaneously. Now sweet little slides and sandals are adorned with beaded flowers, floral stitching, even life-sized artificial blooms. Leather sandals are embossed with floral patterns. Even plain-looking sandals and slides have floral-print insteps.
UStone-studded sandals are nice, whether they're flip-flops or strappy platforms. Sequins work, too. So do colorful or natural-looking beads.
UColor goes bold. Shoes are selling in greens, yellows, reds, pinks, blues. You don't have to stick with safe neutrals.
UAthletic is stylish. Sporty doesn't mean style-free; the athletic shoe has entered the fashion realm. There's a youthful, hip-hop sort of style that has filtered into all levels of fashion. The track suit has helped that along. And fortunately, the look is a comfortable one.
Young buyers are scooping up Pumas in every shade, Augone says.
"Anything Puma is definitely hot, because of the availability of colors you can get them in," he says. With bright colors and bold combinations -- orange with green, red with yellow -- there are athletic shoes to match anything from a tracksuit to a denim skirt.
What not to wear
Guys are advised to lose the Doc Martens this season. The look now is sleeker, more refined, says Whitley, store director for Larry's Shoes. And anyway, Doc Martens were supposed to represent a counterculture, a certain underground coolness. Now that Docs are available at any store in the mall, the fashion world has moved on.
While wedge heels are still in style for casual wear, businesswomen are getting back to a narrow heel, says Whitley. It's a sleeker look that reflects the business world's return to formality and tradition.
In addition, women are ditching their gravity-defying 3- or 31/2-inch spiked heels, and heel heights are more reasonable, hovering around 2 inches -- 21/2, tops.