Summer 2008 Craze - Men Love Mandals

Crocs, murses (male purses), manpris (man capris pants) and mandals (male sandals) have always been deemed way too "campy" for any respectable guy to wear, other than when at the beach or by the pool when, obviously, fashion somehow manages to come last. Yet, this summer is all about bringing all those until now frowned upon items back into the spotlight - and we should all thank celebrities for that.

A trend will always be followed if a certain star promotes it, and not when snotty but otherwise impressive brands are trying to push it forward. For the mandal craze, we probably have to thank Matthew McConaughey first and foremost since it was he who, given his sporty preoccupations, was almost constantly seen wearing a pair. Now, the trend was picked up by other celebs as well (Marc Anthony being only the latest in a very long line), and fashion houses and shoe designers can surely take a hint when they see one.

Thanks to all of the above, men have just have had their range of accessories suddenly expanded - since summer is already here, they can forget about those pesky shoes and go instead for the mandals, in whichever model they see fit. Either resembling a sport shoe or more similar to women's flip-flops, mandals are the hottest thing this summer, and the boost in sales worldwide clearly speaks volumes.

What's best about male sandals, though, is that now they can push fashion limits even further. Not being a faux-pas anymore, they can be worn with virtually anything from an open-collar shirt matched with a summery (to read: in light colors) pair of pants, to cutoffs or manpris and shorts. In other words, mandals are no longer a day shoe to be donned only when getting some well deserved R&R, since they also work just perfectly for a night out on the town.

However, past loathing of male sandals brushed aside does not signify aesthetic considerations are too. As recent studies have pointed out, men in sandals are still something women and people at large would rather not see if the subjects in question have feet that would be better kept covered. Or, as a 27-year-old woman told RecordOnline a short while back, "Men generally have gnarly feet, and mandals are just a little too pretty boy for me. If you are going to invest in a pair of 'mandals', make sure you get a pedicure, and that your big toe is not yellow and crumbling."

These being said, before jumping on the mandal bandwagon this summer, guys better make sure first it's not going to be something that would only make them look worse in the eyes of others. This granted, there's practically nothing else standing in their way to being as hot and trendy as they can be.