The Flat Sandal I Step Into And Forget I'm Wearing

A soft-stretch flat you slip straight into — cushioned underfoot, pretty enough to dress up, and comfortable from the very first wear.

Fastening my shoes had quietly become the hardest part of getting ready. Buckles, tiny straps, bending down to the floor and back up again — my fingers aren't as quick as they were, and it turns into more of a production than I'd like to admit.

So I'd default to the same worn-out pair I could just step into, and leave the nicer sandals in the box. And the flat sandals I did own were thin and hard, leaving my feet aching by evening — easy to put on, miserable to wear.

It was my daughter Sarah, up in Boston, who told me to try a pair from a small family boutique here in South Carolina — a flat sandal she said she just slipped into and forgot about. Before I tell you what they did for my feet, I think you should read the Clarke family's letter first.

The Clarke family runs a small boutique here in South Carolina, family-run since 1986 — three generations, mother to daughter. The sandal is called the Luna, and their letter walks through the handful of things they refused to compromise on. I am going to let their words carry it, because they say it better than I could.

1Slip straight on — no buckles, no bending

We gave the straps a soft stretch, so it's a true slip-on — you just step straight in. Nothing to buckle, nothing to fasten, and no bending down to the floor and back up again. On a busy morning you step in and you are out the door, which sounds like a small thing until it's the reason you can get yourself ready without help.

2A soft stretch that gives with your foot

The straps are a soft stretch, so they give with your foot and mould to its shape rather than sitting fixed and cutting in. There is room where a wider foot needs it, and enough give to move with your feet as they swell through the day — so nothing digs in, morning or night.

3A flat that doesn't mean hard

A flat sandal usually means feeling every hard floor by evening. Not this one — the footbed is soft, padded and gently contoured, so your foot lands on give instead of straight onto something hard. Flat and easy, but never punishing, even after a day on your feet.

4Pretty enough to dress up

Most comfortable flats look exactly like what they are. We wanted this one to be both — soft and easy, but with a little gold ring at the front that lifts the whole thing. It is pretty enough to wear with a summer dress and still be the most comfortable thing on your feet. Elegant, not clinical.

5Soft from the first wear — nothing to rub or break in

The straps are soft and giving, with no hard edges to bite into your skin — so there is nothing to break in and nothing to rub. You can wear them out of the box for a whole day and come home without a single sore spot, which is not something most of us expect from a new sandal.

6Goes with everything, in every size from a 4 to an 11

It comes in four easy colours — blue, black, a soft olive and a warm tan — each one made to go with what you already wear, and it runs from a 4 all the way to an 11. A comfortable sandal in the size that actually fits, not the nearest one on the shelf.

The Luna, against the flat sandals you've been buying

	Typical flat sandal	The Luna
Getting them on	Buckles and straps to fasten, bending down	A soft stretch — just step straight in
The fit	Fixed straps that cut in when feet swell	A stretch that gives and moulds to your foot
Underfoot	Thin and hard, aching by evening	A soft, cushioned, contoured footbed
The look	Plain and clunky — clearly a comfort shoe	A little gold detail — pretty enough to dress up
First wear	Blisters and sore spots until broken in	Soft and giving — comfortable out of the box

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Luna at $169.95 when it launched, and it sold at that price all season. But for America's 250th, the Clarke family wanted to give something back to the women who have kept their doors open since 1986 — so every pair is going out for less than a third of that.

Mine arrived in a box with tissue paper and a little handwritten note on top. I stepped into them that same afternoon, and they've barely come off since.

I don't usually write things like this. But the Luna has barely left my feet since it arrived — I step into them without a thought, nothing digs in, nothing aches, and they're pretty enough that people ask me about them. If getting your shoes on has become the hardest part of your morning the way it had mine, these are the ones I'd tell you to try, while the sale is still on.

— Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, SC

See the Luna — $49.95 →

This is a personal account from a Clarke Family customer. Margaret was not paid to write it. · The Clarke Family · Family Fashion · South Carolina, since 1986 · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.