As someone who suffers from chronic arthritis and is prepping for a hip replacement this fall, wearing flip flops in the summer is usually out of the question. Most flip flops lack the support I need and leave me feeling majorly achy by the end of the day. And while there are plenty of walking sandals out there, most of them don’t have the effortless look I prefer—until this pair from Archies changed everything.
For months, my social media feeds have been flooded with ads for Archies—an Australian brand founded by a physical therapist—whose footwear looks like regular flip flops but claim to be packed with plentiful arch support. Not only do they resemble the stylish (but unsupportive!) options I’ve had to abandon in the back of my closet, but celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Katie Holmes have been spotted wearing them on repeat.
I was worried these were too good to be true, but I decided to take the plunge anyway—and after walking 10,000 steps a day in them, I can confidently say that these are the only flip flops that I can wear all day without experiencing any discomfort.
Instead of the traditional footbed and a separate thong found in most flip flops, these come fused together—and instantly felt sturdier than other models. The straps are initially rather tight, but they stretch to accommodate your foot after a few wears. As someone who has wide, blister-prone feet, straps that rub the top of my foot or in between my toes is my biggest complaint with most flip-flops—but I’ve never had to worry about that with my Archies.
I don’t need to grip the shoe with my toes the way I often do when wearing traditional flip flops, which helped to alleviate the pain I usually feel while wearing sandals. Plus, the footbed nicely contours to my foot with each wear, so these have only gotten more comfortable with time.
Still, for long distance walks, you should still wear more supportive footwear, like comfortable walking sneakers. But for running errands, casual hangouts, and daily wear, Archies are my go-to.
When it comes to styling, these are as versatile as it gets. They’re easy to slip on with denim or a casual dress, and they’re great for wearing at the pool or the beach because I don’t need to worry about getting them wet. Plus, they’re available in tons of colors. I currently have them in brown, but I’m tempted to snag the coral, lemon, and royal blue hues for late summer styling.
All this to say, as someone who struggles to wear flip flops thanks to my chronic arthritis, Archies have changed the game for me. They’re easy to style, ultra-comfortable, and have emerged as the sole pair of flip flops that don’t exacerbate my hip pain. I plan to keep them in my sandal rotation for years to come.
