Every spring I go through my footwear as I do a small seasonal switch, putting bulky tall boots away and getting out the sandals. And every year I usually end up retiring one or two pairs of shoes and look for something to replace them.

I have been slowly letting my footwear collection thin out a little bit. Just a little bit. I enjoy variety too much to ever be anything resembling minimalist. So this year I’ve thought carefully about what I want to add into my summer shoe collection. The thing I was craving more than anything else was a bit of edge and presence.

Honestly the current retail landscape doesn’t do a lot for me. Bricks and mortar stores around here haven’t had much that appeals to me, even in basics (just trying to find a good summer white woven button-front shirt with a little bit of personality??).

So onward I went to an online search. I have been feeling like adding a little metallic back into my sandal collection, after attrition has mostly eliminated it, and I like the chunky platform lug sole style for edging up summer crops, dresses and skirts. So I started with these Nine West silver fisherman sandals pictured below. They fit my foot well and looked cool, but the soles were so sticky and plasticy I could not bear the thought of wearing them in the hot summer. Returned!

But these Dolce Vita ones in my Finds fit the bill nicely. The material is much more comfortable on the soles of my feet, and I think I prefer the open toe anyway. The silver is less mirror-shiny, which I like.

I also got a new pair of Adidas white sneakers to replace my old ones that were getting worn out.

Are any of you finding interesting summer shoe refreshers?