E-Mail This Article to a Friend A total flop You’ll flip for the latest in summer sandals BY ATTICUS FISHER

Come this SUMMER, presidential candidates won’t be the only ones flip-flopping — so will your feet. Or at least we hope they will, because the imminent arrival of warm weather means it’s time to start thinking about putting the top down on your feet by slipping into the most comfortable and ubiquitous shoe on earth — the flip-flop. While you could stop by your local drugstore on the way to the beach, those two-dollar plastic blister-makers will take you only so far. Invest a little more money, and you’ll have a pair that will walk you to the beach and beyond.

Surfers and other assorted beach bums have done more to further the cause of the flop than any other group. Release your inner Spicoli with a pair of Reef’s Fundamental Series leather flops ($30–$34) from Urban Outfitters. If you’re on a surfer’s budget but still want cool, try Quiksilver sandals ($8.95/women’s; $10.95/men’s) from the Quiksilver Boardriders Club.

Where does the line between flip-flop and high-fashion shoe begin to blur? At Aldo and the Tannery, of course, where you can spend upwards of a hundred bucks on a pair of sandals. Extravagant? Perhaps, but these fab flops are guaranteed to put you on Carson Kressley’s good side. At the Tannery you’ll find a women’s Cole Haan/Nike hybrid ($110) that marries stylish Cole Haan leather and suede uppers with Nike treads. The men’s version ($104) takes an extra, high-tech step and adds the Nike Air sole, just in case you need to run a few laps around the pool to impress the women. Aldo beckons with sandals for men and women ($29.99–$79.99) in styles ranging from Euro to sporty to a hot-pink pair studded with rhinestones and sprouting one-inch heels.

If you find that your feet tend to express themselves in alternative ways, much like the tortured MassArt student who lives down the hall, the following flip-flops should satisfy your creative jones. Search out Jasmine Sola for a pair of Havaianas Sugar Shoes ($25). These flops feature your basic black rubber sole and clear plastic thong, but with the added benefit of cushy hot-pink or blue inserts when you tire of the bared foot painted on the insole.

Sure, hemp is good for making rope and legalized-marijuana arguments, but it can also make for a fine sandal. Female enviro types should check out the Hempest for its line of embroidered hemp sandals ($29.95) in brown, pink, or purple. And for those who want to go completely off the deep end, Sanuk has flops that go over the top. Surf over to the Flip Flop Company to buy pimpin’ Sanuk sleds ($12.95–$43.95) featuring artificial turf, leopard prints, and deep-pile faux fur.

Flip-flops got their start in Japan, where the thong in zori and geta sandals facilitated the custom of removing one’s shoes before entering a home. Return to the source via Tokai in the Porter Exchange. This Asian gifts, crafts, and clothing boutique carries a small selection of tatami-mat zori and soft wood geta sandals ($18–$35.50) in traditional Japanese styles. Kimono not included.

Where to find it:

• Aldo, various locations; www.aldo.com.

• Flip Flop Company, www.flipflopcompany.com.

• Hempest, 207 Newbury Street, Boston, (617) 421-9944

• Jasmine Sola, 344 Newbury Street, Boston, (617) 867-4636; 37A Brattle Street, Cambridge, (617) 354-6043; 199 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, (617) 332-8415.

• Quiksilver Boardriders Club, 326 Newbury Street, Boston, (617) 859-0874.

• Tannery, 11A Brattle Street, Cambridge, (617) 491-0810.

• Tokai, 1815 Mass Ave, Cambridge, (617) 864-5922.

• Urban Outfitters, various locations; www.urbanoutfitters.com