I wear Birk EVAs - these are my beach shoes and they get wet and sandy and just wash off under a tap. Very comfy for walking too.

Everyone - I am going to an event at the Met Museum tonight* and want to dress a bit. It could rain at any time today and so I'll wear the fisherman sandals, since I think they'll look okay with whatever I wear and will be supportive enough for the museum's marble floors. I'll report back if I am wearing them out in the rain.

*It's the opening of the Karl Lagerfeld exhibit for people with our mid-level-but-slightly-fancy membership. I have mixed feelings about going, since he was an awful person, but also FASHION. These parties are a significant benefit of our membership level, and we can't un-pay for just this one party, so we decided to go in the end.

I wear waterproofed leather sneakers (unlined), or manmade fibre mesh sneakers (for all-day walking), or teva’s (universal sole).
I will often wear leather sneakers for walking to the office, then change into dressier shoes (because I like the dressy shoes but don’t want them to get soaked).

If it's a real downpour, I'll wear Birk Eva's, Keens or Fit Flops, and change into "real" shoes once indoors. I also have some old fashion sneakers that I save for this purpose.

I learned a lesson years ago, got caught in a downpour in new shoes and it ruined them. They LOOKED fine afterwards, but the wet leather stretched with my foot sliding around in the soggy shoes, and they never fit properly again. I was sad.

That doesn't help you for a dressy event where you probably don't want to carry extra shoes though. Get dropped off at the door, and good luck!

I know you live in a city, too: I steer away from open-toed shoes in a total downpour since feet get gross. I have a pair of Russel + Bromley patent loafers in a light color for precisely warm rain conditions and rarely wear them otherwise. If I don't need to by dressy, I usually wear these leather sneakers from Birkenstock which are indestructible. Or, if it's really hot and only threatening rain, I might wear platform Birks, which I see you have in your collection too.

Have a great time at the museum!

I ended up wearing these, and it was fine because I was only outside for about 3 minutes of real rain.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I don't intend to buy more shoes but this has been helpful to evaluate which existing shoes can work for rain.

I wear fabric flats but not espadrilles. The jute bottoms do not hold up in water. Something that will dry well and not be sweaty wearing. I have some water or beach shoes that look like sneakers but are made to take beach walking and wet or damp conditions.