Obama Mandal Scandal!

July 31, 2010 1:55 PM

Where can I get some Obama sandals?

I owe a friend a new pair of sandals, and thought they might like a pair like the ones featured in the Obama Mandal Scandal. I think they are pretty nice, simple slides, good for the beach, no toe thong, and how can you beat the provenance? (Well provenance by association.)

Does anyone recognize the sandals or know where I can get them?

posted by ladypants to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (6 answers total)

Best answer: This article says he wears Cole Haan shoes. If that's correct, I would guess Cole Haan FLX Air Odell Slide.
posted by Houstonian at 2:56 PM on July 31, 2010

Response by poster: Wow, super sharp eyes Houstonian! I thought it was funny calling them "Obama sandals" but I've actually been looking fruitlessly for a simple pair of men's slide sandals, and these seem to fit the bill perfectly. I was hoping they'd be some cheapo brand though. Darn.
posted by ladypants at 2:59 PM on July 31, 2010

It's too bad you're looking for a non-thong shoe, because the real scandal is -- and there is extensive photographic evidence of this -- this is not the first time the President's foot has been in a sandal! And in these photos, they look like the very affordable kind.

Will this be Obama's Katrina?!
posted by Houstonian at 3:21 PM on July 31, 2010 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Nice pics. I cannot confirm the presence of a thong in that final image, so I hold out hope for the elusive cheap slide. In the photo in the original post, I think I see something that looks like a brown or red logo at the distal part of the strap, which indicates that they may be something other than Cole Haan. I haven't found any Bata sandals that look similar yet. The sandals are out there somewhere...
posted by ladypants at 3:28 PM on July 31, 2010

Response by poster: On third glance, that red thing is probably a reflection of something in the leather. All signs point toward Cole Haan.
posted by ladypants at 4:02 PM on July 31, 2010

Best answer: Having recently completed my own quest to find the Exact Leather Slides I Had Seen, I know what it's like to want the exact one, not something kind of similar. So it appears you want smooth black unadorned leather slides with a side cutout. There are a lot in that general cutout style but many like the Cole Haan are kind of pricey. So sticking with the side cutout style but relaxing the parameters a bit to get lower prices, maybe one of the following cheapos would work. You can find them by googling various combinations of the following keywords: men's black(or brown) leather slides sandals, with slides being the most useful keyword, or by browsing the slide sandal sections of the sites below. If you're thinking beachwear, though, you may want to consider synthetic materials rather than leather just so they'll handle water a bit better. I wear leather slides out and about but have some sport slides for the beach. But for $14 like the Merona ones from Target below, maybe I wouldn't care about leather issues.

Rockport South Circle $34

Alfani Malibu Slide $34

Aldo Knittle $30-45

Woolrich Traverse ~$22

Merona Rondal Slide $14 brown

Fossil Bleeker Slide $39 brown

Skechers Tannor $35 brown

And be sure to try browsing and keyword searching at:
zappos.com (my favorite, wonderful customer service)
endless.com
shoes.com
6pm.com
shoemania.com
planetshoes.com
amazon.com
google shopping results
posted by Askr at 1:50 PM on August 1, 2010 [2 favorites]