Gramicci Sandals: Rope, Slide and How They Fit

Gramicci makes two sandals and they're not interchangeable. One is a strap sandal you can walk in properly. The other is a slide you put on to go outside for ten minutes. Worth knowing which you're buying.

The Rope Sandal

Cotton rope over the foot, an adjustable strap at the back, and a sole with enough grip to be useful. This is the one for actually going somewhere — a footpath, a beach, a long day where you're on your feet and don't want a trainer.

The rope is soft enough not to cut in, and because the strap adjusts you can get it snug rather than approximate, which is the difference between a sandal you can walk a mile in and one you can't.

Comes in olive and black. The olive is the more interesting of the two and sits well against anything in a natural tone. The black is the one that goes with more.

The Slide

Wide webbing strap over the top, contoured footbed underneath, nothing at the back. Straightforward, and better made than most slides — the footbed has actual shape to it rather than being a flat slab of foam.

This is a poolside, garden, nipping-to-the-shop shoe. It stays on fine at walking pace and doesn't at any pace above that. That's not a criticism of the sandal, it's what a slide is.

What size to buy

Same rule as the rest of Gramicci: it's Asian sizing, so go one size up from your usual. If you're normally a medium, buy a large.

The rope sandal has an adjustable back strap, which gives you some room for error. The slide doesn't — it's a fixed strap and whatever size you order is the size you get. If you're between sizes on the slide, size up.

Our full Gramicci size chart has the measurements.

What to wear them with

The rope sandal is the one that works with a dress. It has enough going on across the foot to hold its own against something floaty, and the olive in particular stops a summer dress reading as too sweet.

The slide goes with less and that's fine — it's not trying to be part of an outfit. Wide trousers, cropped so the sole shows. A linen jumpsuit. Anything you'd wear when the decision-making is over for the day.

Neither works with a sock, whatever the internet says.

The rest of the range is in our Gramicci collection.