"Flip flops" vs. "thong sandals" - YouLookFab Forum

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"Flip flops" vs. "thong sandals"

Steph

Veteran

I have been curious about this for awhile, and am wondering how people define flip flops, and how people define a thong sandal. I know a lot of women on this board (and Angie) are very anti-flip flop. However, then I see a post like Angie's today, with the Stuart Weitzman thong sandal (http://www.zappos.com/stuart-w.....white-calf), and all I can think is "how is that not a flip flop?"

Is the distinction merely the material? Personally, I think of all thong sandals as flip flops, and vice versa. Within that category I see different levels of quality and attractiveness, but they are all flip flops to me.

General

33 replies

Latest reply was from Nicole D

londonkiwi (now back in NZ)

Veteran

I struggle with the terminology for this too. For me, as a New Zealander we use the term jandals for a shoe like Angie posted. In the UK where I live the term flip flop would be used and in Australia they would use the word thong (which has a whole different meaning in the UK!) - correct me if I am wrong Aussies.

I am pretty sure that in the UK they would call the above a flip flop and then something plastic also a flip flop.

Correct or not, I would only use the term sandals to describe a shoe that has a strap around the heel, not a backless shoe.

Uggg - English is confusing!

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

I'd probably consider those "dressy thongs" in Australian terms...

But to me, I'm imagining "flip flops" to be like your havaiana's, but "thong sandals" to be dressier versions?

Katiepea

(website)

Veteran

My own personal take that a thong (aka flip-flop or jandal) is made of rubber. To me, that would be more of a sandal, because it is made from a leather type material and has some embellishment as a style feature.

Please note that this belief is coming from a Queensland perspective though, where every second person is walking around with rubber thongs in the summertime. To see a similar style, but *heaven forbid!* made from leather is always such a welcome relief!

Louise

Veteran

My understanding is the picture posted is a thong sandal because it is dressier and made of leather/ pleather a flip flop to me is made of plastic and is the sort of thing I wear in the showers on holiday x

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I'm in the UK and refer to the plastic versions as flip flops (gear) and leather versions as thongs (sandals). I don't know if there is any sense behind my reasoning.

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

Flip-flops are the rubber version of thong sandals. They are found and worn everywhere in the US, sadly. I wear them to and from my pedicures, and to the pool only. Thong sandals are more substantial and are usually made of leather, or cork or something more than rubber. Those tend to be a casual shoe although you can get them in pretty dressy styles. They can be worn in more casual business-casual environments sometimes.

marianna

Veteran

I suppose for me the distinction *is* material. A flip flop can be bought at Old Navy for $1 and you can get it wet with no problems. It's cheap, casual gear. A thong sandal is more of a real shoe, made with sturdier materials. It looks dressier.

Laura

(website)

Veteran

In the U.S., the Stuart Weissmans would definitely be considered thong sandals, not flip flops, and so would these: http://youlookfab.com/store/20.....ng-sandal/. I agree with Kristen that the difference is in the fabrication. Flip flops are completely made of rubber, at least in our American terminology.

Maya

Veteran

What everyone else says. Flipflops are shoes you wear to avoid plantar warts in communal showers. Why anyone thinks that is a good look for daily wear is beyond me. They are ugly, not substantial enough for extended use, bad for your feet, overly casual, and unhygenic. Thong sandals are a different story. I'll say that I still don't love them for city use though, unless they have a thicker sole and are strapped in place at the ankle. My roommates, bless their hearts, had the grossest, dirtiest feet from wearing thin soled floppy thong sandals around the city and on the subway. I need just a tad more between my feet and the subway floor to feel safe...

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Steph, these are flip flops. The cheap rubbery kind that flap:

http://youlookfab.com/2008/07/.....-everyday/

Good for the beach, pool, at home, communal showers and after pedicures.

Thong sandals are much better-end. Does that make sense?

Steph

Veteran

All of these explanations do make sense, and that's pretty much what I figured. I guess that part of it for me is that I actually don't think there is anything so terrible about walking around town in flip flops when wearing a really casual outfit. To my eye, wearing a flip flop in the hot summer with a casual outfit is no better or worse than wearing a pair of Converse.

I personally don't like the really cheap plastic Old Navy type of flip flop, but I think there are things that would, based on the responses here, still be classified as a flip flop, but are perfectly fine for wearing casually. I'm thinking of something like this:
http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Brows...../81435.jsp

As a total shoe girl, I realize it isn't the most fashionable choice, but it seems perfectly appropriate for a day walking around the mall or running errands while wearing a casual skirt or a pair of jeans. I'm curious if anyone feels the same way.

RoseandJoan

Veteran

These seem to have more cushioning for the foot bed and are nicely designed. I personally would not wear them for a day at the mall but I tend to be on the dressier side of casual. I have plently of none leather shoes but the plastic of true flip flops is very unappealing to me.

Laura

(website)

Veteran

Oh Steph, I was a JCrew flip flop addict about 3 summers ago, wearing exactly the ones you linked to on a daily basis. By the end of summer, I had horrible foot pain on the side of my right foot. Awful. And then suddenly there were news stories all over the place about how bad flip flops are for your feet (or maybe I just noticed them at that point).

I made the transition away from flip flops with some Cole Haan Nike Air black leather thongs. They are still sporty and casual, look just as cute, and are SO much better for your feet.

Steph

Veteran

Laura, I don't actually wear these, so the foot pain isn't really an issue, but I was just using them as an example of what I think is perfectly fine and on par with something like Converse. I guess I just don't see why something as casual as Converse are okay but something like this would be considered to be unacceptable. I would never wear them with an outfit that was anything more than casual, but for a casual look in the summer, I think they are fine.

So I guess my question is whether others agree with me or if people would see someone walking around in those flip flops and a pair of jeans or a casual skirt and think "oh, gross, put on a real pair of shoes." And if you would think the latter, I'm wondering what the reasoning is.

I wear a pair of Reefs that have a similar look, and I'm perfectly confident with that and am not planning on changing them. Mine are really comfy, but I also don't have fussy feet. (I also don't purchase leather, so leather thongs aren't an option.)

rheostaticsfan

I feel it's a kind of fuzzy line. Clearly $1 bargain store plastic ones are flip flops. I feel there are nice leather thongs.

But there's a whole spectrum in between. I have a few pairs of Orthoheels. They're thong style and made from synthetic materials (EVA and PU) but they're "well made" and expensive. Are they thongs or flip flops? http://www.orthaheelusa.com/wo.....andal.html

Similarly with my Chaco's.

I don't/wouldn't wear them to work so maybe that's my dividing line between flip flops and thongs.

I would wear them out and about on the street. Shopping. Sightseeing etc.

I wouldn't wear cheap $1 flip flops anywhere except the shower or a pedicure (or maybe the beach). I have 1 pair of gelly flip flops I keep for this purpose.

Other thoughts?

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Steph, I cannot support the look you are describing for reasons I have mentioned and will not bore you with again. I see flip flops in the same way as I see sweats and gear. Sweats/gear are for lounging, going to the hopsital and excersing. Flip flops are for the occassions I mentioned in my previous comment. If we keep on extending the boundaries to "it's okay to wear flip flops with a casual skirt to the mall" - where does it all end?

Rheostatisticsfan (that's a hard one to spell!), those are flip flops to my eye.

Maya

Veteran

A pair of Cons is so much more substantial. Those J Crew flipflops are basically two blocks of foam flimsily strapped to your foot. The difference between flipflops and thong sandals is about equal to the difference between gear sneakers and fashion sneakers.

Rosie

Veteran

I agree with everyone about the fabrication defining what the shoe is. I kind of have to stay out of the rest of it because, well, I wear flip-flops more than I should. It's just something people do over here. I try not to for all of the reasons above (usually wear real shoes) but there are just some days when I want to.

Sorry, Angie! I'm a California beach girl!

crasdy

I agree with you, Steph. To my eyes, the Stuart Weitzman thong sandals are no dressier/more appropriate than the J.Crew ones you linked.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Wow.

It really surprises me that you can't see the difference between the dressiness of the SW thong sandal and the beach casualness of the J.Crew flip flop. It's like comparing a beautiful sleevless silk blouse to an Old Navy T-shirt tank top - both of which have their place in fashion but are not substitutes. Perhaps you might have to actually see the SW thong sandals in real life in order to identify the difference.

Rosie, I'm sobbing :0(

Maya, nice fashion sneaker analagy.

Laura

(website)

Veteran

There is a huge difference between the JCrew rubber flip flops and the SW thong sandals, and I cannot imagine how they would be interchangeable. Giving your feet something more supportive than rubber flip flops is reason enough for me to avoid them. I don't get repulsed by people wearing them, but when you know better, you do better.

crasdy

I guess to me, ALL thong sandals are super casual, even if they are made by a high-end designer out of nice leather.

They all flop. Personally, I don't find any of them particularly appropriate for anything except the most casual of occasions.

Steph

Veteran

Crasdy, I agree with you exactly. Yes, I can definitely see the difference between a leather thong and a foam flip flop, but I think that they are equally casual and would be worn in similar situations. I wouldn't wear a leather thong sandal to work, or with anything other than the most casual of clothing in the most casual of settings, which is exactly how I would feel about something like the J. Crew flip flop. However, I also feel that way about Cons.

Maya, I get your analogy, but I guess I would say that the leather thong really isn't much more than two blocks of leather flimsily strapped to the foot. Sure, Cons are more substantial, but they are meant for different seasons. There are a lot of really strappy, flimsy sandals out there. I kind of view a flip flop as the summer equivalent of a fashion sneaker. If there are reasons other than the substantial nature why they are really different, I'm all ears.

Here I stand, a self-confessed shoe maven who regularly wears 4+ inch heels *everywhere*, defending the flip flop!

RoseandJoan

Veteran

For me it is 100% the fabrication which takes a flip flop from casual to smart casual, leather or PU would not be great at the beach or pool they would be ruined in minutes and I do have a ruined pair of silver sandals to prove my point. Where as rubber looks out of place in the mall. For me this is like comparing a wrap cardi with a bath robe, yes the shape may be similar but the usage is very very different.

taylor

Veteran

I agree with Angie.

The ONLY time I have a flip flop on is on a tropical beach...and even then they usually come off. To me they aren't really a shoe, more along the lines of a slipper, they have a purpose, but it's a limited one.

Maya

Veteran

I think we are really disagreeing on the importance of material. To me it's like comparing a fine gauge cotton cardi to a terry zip-up hoodie. They are fundamentally the same in function and design, but one is absolutely less casual than the other. Flipflops are made for activities in which normal shoes would get wet and be ruined, and thong sandals count as normal shoes. That, and wearing around the house in hot weather, are the only acceptable uses for flipflops.

There are definitely distinct levels of casualness. I agree thong sandals are casual, but I'd equate them to light wash jeans. Those are casual too, but far above and beyond sweatpants and totally acceptable in a stylish woman's wardrobe. Rubber/foam flipflops are the footwear equivalent of sweats.

There is another pair of sandals from J Crew that are essentially leather flipflops with a pancake heel and very thin metallic straps. While they are definitely not my choice of footwear for the mean city streets, I can accept them as good "running errands" kind of shoes in the 'burbs. But I still wouldn't say they are great for much else because of how flat and unsupportive there are. While they are not practically acceptable to me, they are aesthetically a step up from the ugly rubber/foam version and will definitely last longer, despite being so delicate. They are not shower/poolside shoes.

Christie

Flip-flops vs. thongs just depends on where you're wearing them and with what. Since I dress pretty casual anyway, footwear usually either dresses down or dresses up my look. Its like an accessory ... if I'm going really casual I don't wear a necklace or extra jewelry. But if I'm dressing up MOTG-esque, I'll add accessories. I would only wear gear-type flip-flops to the pool or lake. If I loved thong sandals, I'd wear them with casual MOTG outfits. Instead, I wear wedge sandals or ballet flats.

Steph

Veteran

Maya, I'm not sure that the disagreement is really over the importance of material. I recognize that the leather flip flop is made of a "nicer" material (in quotes since I actually don't think there is anything nice about leather from a compassion perspective, but I realize that leather is generally considered to be a nicer material). But I just don't think the rubber material of a typical flip flop is all that objectionable. I think we just have a fundamental disagreement on when a typical non-leather flip flop is acceptable from a stylistic perspective. To use the SAT analogy format, to me-- running sneakers: fashion sneakers as Tevas (velcro straps and all): flip flops (whether rubber or leather). I think of something like Tevas as gear, and they really don't have much redeeming value in terms of aesthetics. I actually think that some flip flops, however, can be pretty cute and I put them in the same category as fashion sneakers. But it sounds like people are pretty entrenched on this one.

Personally, I just don't see why a flop flop is unacceptable to wear in the same situations in which something like Converse might be acceptable. I'm putting aside issues of comfort, because that's idiosyncratic. If anything, I think that a flip flop like the J. Crew one I posted is actually *more* acceptable than Converse sneakers. I'm sure if Angie read that, she just had a heart attack.

marianna

Veteran

Rosie! Being a CA girl isn't an excuse! I wore plastic flip-flops when I was in junior high-high school... but after that I bought real sandals! I'm a native Californian and don't wear flip flops!

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