3 Celebrity-Approved Ways to Wear Mandals
Learn how you can pull off the “ugly sandals” trend like a style star.
by Alessandra Katigbak
Trends may come and go, but certain pieces seem to stay no matter the weather or season. With factors such as gender equality and inclusivity coming into play fashion-wise, men and women continue to step out of their comfort zones, playing up their style in order to become more bold.
One trend that evolves quite often is footwear, an accessory that can bring an entire look together sans the flashiness. Enter mandals, which are classified as a pair of summer shoes under the Men’s category — consisting of black or brown leather, buckles, and a thick sole — think Birkenstocks with straps. Although a more structured piece, mandals are relatively versatile in the sense that they can be dressed up or down.
Unsure as to how you would like to style mandals? Look to these OOTDs of local style stars such as Laureen Uy, Kryz Uy, Sarah Lahbati, and Martine Ho for inspiration in terms of ways to incorporate them into your everyday outfits.
Laureen Uy
There is something about the way Laureen Uy dresses that make her outfits look so effortlessly put-together. Her style gravitating on the more unisex side, she juxtaposes pieces that one would not imagine going together. Prime examples being a lime green bodysuit tucked into a pair of purple trousers with a long mint green blazer layered over a pastel pink jumpsuit — sounds like a lot, right? But she’s the type to totally pull it off.
Matching Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul’s exterior, Laureen opted to pair her black and white mandals with a printed wrap dress pulled down to reveal some shoulder action.
Sarah Lahbati
One of the country’s best dressed women under 30, 25 year-old Filipino-Moroccan Sarah Lahbati can rock anything from a frilly dress to a tie-dye and trousers combo and still look fantastic. Although often dressed to the nines, she loves to dress comfortably, sticking to clothing pieces that best suit her.
Despite her busy schedule, she manages to sneak a getaway from the city life and spend quality time with her family, the beach being one of their absolute places. An effortless trendsetter, she can be found rocking high-cut bikinis, marching to the beat of her own drum by juxtaposing them with mandals.
Kryz Uy
Kryz Uy-Young is one to easily rock anything from a Gingham print dress to a basic tank top and denim shorts combination, and still manage to look stylishly put together. Although she can be seen dressed to the nines in her Instagram posts or YouTube videos — especially when on a trip with her fellow blogger besties or husband, Slater Young — Kryz likes to wear more relaxed pieces from time to time.
Nothing screams comfort like a tank top and denim shorts — plus, being beach ready, she opted to tie the whole look together with a pair of mandals.
Martine Cajucom-Ho
From being the former Head Creative of American Apparel to the co-owner and Creative Director of the Sunnies brands, is there anything Martine Cajucom-Ho cannot do? Experimental fashion wise, she goes from sporting a Shining-inspired pink and red embellished dress to a form-fitting bodysuit within a span of days, making women question their safe clothing items.
Summertime in Los Angeles can be worse than that of the Philippines because of the drought. Far from basic, she and her cousin, Isabelle Daza-Semblat, opted to sport ’80s inspired leotards and a pair of mandals as opposed to the typical hiking outfit — a sports bra paired with leggings or workout shorts.
As seen in the photos, mandals can be paired with anything. From a high-waisted bikini to a printed wrap dress, it is the kind of shoes that can instantly turn a basic outfit around.
What do you think of the mandals trend? Let us know in the comments area below if this is something you’d totally hop on!
