Birkenstock Adria: The Non-Flip Flop Flip Flop

Birkenstock Adria- Black Leather

I have been a long time fan of Birkenstocks. In fact, I actually ordered white Birkenstocks for my wedding, much to the disapproval of my parents who pictured me walking down the aisle in some white fancy shoe of some sort. Nope, not I. I didn't want to be uncomfortable at my wedding... ok, truth be told, I was worried about tripping and falling in front of everyone. And yes, it has happened before (8th grade graduation... the entire gym saw my underwear. Somehow, I recovered...). I am a big flip flop fan, but I work at a school and the rule for shoes is: if you can wear it in the shower, you can't wear it to work. So there is some wiggle room there, and honestly, I can come up with reasons why I wouldn't wear most of my flip flops in the shower... sequins, bad traction, soggy soles, etc. But agreed: there are times when flip flops just seem a bit too casual. My hunt was to find the non-flip-flop looking flip flop- enter the Birkenstock Adria. There is no way these would even be questioned- who in their right mind would wear leather into the shower?!? These are the perfect blend of flip flop and sandal. I have several pairs of the Birkenstock Gizeh (pictured below) but for some reason, I prefer the Gizehs more with jeans and capris than with skirts. Let's blame my skinny ankles for that too. I love the footbed, which some find to rigid and stiff, and over time (lots of time) they conform to your foot. My oldest pair of Birkenstocks is now thirteen years old and still going strong. I should note though that given the number of shoes I own at this point, I don't wear any of them with frequency. The Adrias seem to go well with just about anything: jeans, capris, skirts, shorts, etc. (though I guess there isn't really anything else to for the etc. to cover). The side strap is adjustable which keeps the front part secure on your foot. I could see the part in between the toes bothering some people- it is somewhat stiff at this point, but I am hoping it will soften up with time.  It is actually a part of the strap, and it curves around to the side with the buckle. The other issue I could see down the road would be if the strap stretches too much, the sandal would be loose and possibly not stay well on your foot. Only time will tell on that one. I will say that the straps take some breaking in. The first wear is slightly painful- the straps are stiff and rub across the top of the foot. And I have somewhat narrow feet... I don't know if this would be better or worse if my feet were wider. I wore them on the loosest hole while they were being broken in and then tightened them to a more comfortable hole once the leather softened up (band-aids came in handy as well... maybe a little candle wax on the underside of the straps? I remember my mom doing that on new shoes when I was a kid...). No blisters, but I certainly wouldn't wear them on a long walk the first time.  Most of my Birkenstocks (actually, all of them) are a 39, and these I had to go down to a 38. Not sure what is going on... are my feet shrinking? It's like they know I am done having kids and are returning to their pre-baby size... which is problematic since all of my shoes have now stretched to accommodate my post-baby larger feet. That sounds weird. I will most likely add the brown to my collection at some point this summer:). I have a bad habit of buying the same shoes in all the shades of the rainbow- hey, why not go with what works? Not very unique, but tried and true.