Guys, it is now fashionable to air your tootsies in public.
The must-haves: Man sandals, or mandals as they are called - the male version of the fashionista's gladiator sandal.
Leading the mandal pack is French designer Veronique Nichanian at luxury house Hermes.
For her spring/summer 2009 show, she paired look after look with either leather slingbacks or jute espradilles.
Others catching mandal mania include Belgian designer Ann Demeulemeester and Lanvin.
On home shores, though, retailers do not expect mandals to take off dramatically given the prices and the fact that it is tricky to pull them off.
Starting from around $100, mandals - with their genuine leather soles and detailed workmanship - are double the cost of popular rubber slingbacks. For example, the rubber-soled Braziliano Praia slingbacks are $49.90 at Newurbanmale.com.
At accessories brand Pedro, mandals make up just 10 per cent of total shoe stock for guys.
Hermes, one of the top-tier brands here, stocks seven mandal styles at its Singapore flagship store at Liat Towers. Its marketing director Madeleine Ho notes that 'casual footwear has always been a core part of our collection'.
Kwang Sia Fashion, the local distributor for German label Hugo Boss, will increase its mandals stock by 5 per cent this season. Even then, it will make up just 1 per cent of men's footwear at its flagship store at Takashimaya Shopping Centre.
'Leather sandals are very European chic,' notes Calvin Ong, its fashion director.
They are best worn with uptown flair.
'Pair them with well-tailored linen or cotton-blend suits for some sartorial flair,' Ong says.
Vestan Low, assistant merchandising manager for department store Tangs, which carries five brands of mandals at its Wardrobe Men section, agrees: 'Mandals straddle between casual comfort and dressy so you might be uncertain whether to pair them with casual bermudas or jazz them up.'
For those channelling the grunge look, multi-label boutique Front Row in Ann Siang Road is bringing in 57 pairs of limited-edition Doc Martens patent leather boot sandals - designed by Jil Sander designer Raf Simons - next Tuesday.
Urban rounds up some of the mandal styles available here.
| | 1 Criss-cross slide sandal, $980, from Bottega Veneta |
| | 2 Roman sandal, $115, from HE by Mango |
| | 3 Slide sandal, $73, from Pedro |
| | 4 Quasi sandal, $950, from Hermes |
| | 5 Slingback sandal with woven thong by Leo Pucci, $149, from Wardrobe Men, Level 3 Tangs Orchard |
| | 6 Woven-leather slide sandal, $149.50, from Sole 2 Sole |
| | 7 Woven leather slingback sandal, $725, from Bally |
| | 8 Strappy slingback sandal with metal buckle, $125, from HE by Mango |
| | 9 Strappy slide sandal, $89.90, from Zara |
| | 10 Slingback sandal by nuabs, $95.80, from 310 Woodland.
Unlike gladiators that come with straps and buckles that go up the leg, mandals come simply as slides or slingbacks. They also sport less ornate details, perhaps just a brass buckle, at most. |
This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.
