Now that it’s hot enough to crank the AC on full blast inside and acceptable to bare all 10 toes in public, I’ve determined that leather flip-flops are my new go-to shoes of the summer. This is surprising for me, since I usually reserve flip-flops for things like going to the beach or the pool, scenarios where I know I won’t have to wear them for long so I can avoid the muscle cramps I get from trying to hold the sandals in place during a walk or, even worse, that dreaded burn between my big and second toes. My discomfort from leather flip-flops in particular has been so intense that I decided to officially retire the style from my closet—even for beach trips—around the tail end of high school and never looked back. All of this changed recently when I tried on Hari Mari sandals after being gifted a pair from the brand’s PR team. I basically haven’t taken them off since.

To be completely transparent, I initially had my doubts about Hari Mari’s Meadows sandals (call me jaded, if you must), despite Hari Mari being incredibly popular among celebrities including Zac Efron and Katherine Heigl. But the second I apprehensively glided my feet into the shoes and strolled around for a bit, I knew that I’d found a new holy grail sandal. They’re honestly that good. Hari Mari’s streamlined Meadows flip-flops are so comfortable, made with arch support and a memory-foam-based inner sole that now features a subtle imprint of my size-10 feet. These sandals are made to skip that awkward break-in period

most shoes require, which is why I was able to wear them straight out of the box without any discomfort. Totally different from the hard leather or plastic sandals of my past, these leather flip-flops have buttery-soft straps that feel like I’ve already worn them for years (although it’s only been a couple of months). All Hari Mari sandals have a tiny cylinder of memory foam that goes between your toes and is wrapped in soft nylon to help grip toes and reduce abrasion, which has been the crux of my sandal frustrations to date. The Meadows’ outer sole is made of grippy rubber that’s water-resistant, which definitely comes in handy during rainy summer days. Although I’ve worn the durable flip-flops just about everywhere—from grocery store runs to a sunny-day picnic—they still look just as clean and elevated as when I first received them, which earns the brand a few more gold stars in my book. In addition to being supremely comfortable and just plain all-around awesome, the Meadows sandals are also eco-friendly, since they’re made from recyclable rubber and foam. Hari Mari even asks its customers to send back their worn-out pairs for repurposing to help minimize landfill waste, which I absolutely plan to do once mine wear out.

Adding Hari Mari’s Meadows to my collection has totally changed my perspective on flip-flops. If someone had told me 13 years ago that leather flip-flops would reenter my life, I would have been hard-pressed to believe them. But it’s true: These bad boys are an absolute game changer. Currently, my only Hari Mari–related concern is being fast enough to snatch the Meadows up in a few more colors before word gets out about how fire they are.