The best ugly sandals to wear on your lockdown walks

Move over Birkenstock, there's a new ugly shoe in town. Teva.

(Image credit: 2020 Christian Vierig)

Move over Birkenstock, there's a new ugly shoe in town. Teva.

There's no denying it, the ugly sandal shoe trend is here to stay, and let's be honest, it's perfect for these Coronavirus times. They might be unconventionally pretty - think chunky and practical - they are the perfect finishing touch to an outfit that consists mainly of a throw-on dress. We have finally embraced comfort dressing.

A natural extension of this winter's dad trainers and hiking boot trends, it's part sporty sandal mixed with a chunky rubber sole. Basically the flat shoe your Dad wears on holiday, but this time around it's totally upgraded to fash pack status.

Although ugly sandals have been around for a few seasons now (Tevas and Birkenstocks have always been a favourite with the normcore crowd), for SS20, designers are really embracing the trend.

Let's start with Scandi brand Cecilie Bahnsen, who is arguably the trend setter for the pretty dress and sandals combo. The designer has collaborated with Suicoke to create a line of embellished hiking sandals that are the perfect extension of her dreamy dresses.

Next up we have the Prada logo sandals that sold out last year and are back for another successful season no doubt. Even Marc Jacobs, Fendi, Chloe and Chanel are getting in on the act - in fact Chanel's velcros are still one of their most popular shoes.

IRL, they were first spotted on the feet of the stylish Scandi set at Copenhagen Fashion Week, and have quickly filtered through to our shores.

There are so many styles to choose from this season, from the more minimal black Teva, to some with chunky platform soles, brushes of pastel and the all important velcro straps.

The best thing about this trend is that it totally doesn't compromise on comfort, and it's the best way to off-set a floral dress, as demonstrated by influencers such as Alexis Foreman, Monikh, Jessie Bush, Lizzy Hadfield and Hannah Crosskey.

Want a more casual vibe? Try a simple pair of jeans and a tank top. So get yourself pedi ready and embrace the cool comfort of the new ugly sandal. Shop our favourite styles below.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.