There’s a fine line between ugly pretty and straight up ugly ugly, but fisherman sandals—in spite of their chunky nature—manage to toe said line with ease. Joining the ranks of barn jackets, chore coats, hiking boots, and—rather aptly—fisherman sweaters as style staples borrowed from blue collar workers, fisherman sandals exemplify the tension between ugly and pretty needed to take an outfit from nice to a lewk. Prioritising structure and support, they make for the ideal spring and summer shoe for those who gravitate towards closed-toe shoes but don’t want to sweat it out in the warmer weather. Pairing equally as well with pleated shorts and crisp cropped trousers as they do with floaty dresses and silky tops, fisherman sandals introduce an element of rugged insouciance and visual contrast into any outfit, with their woven, structured-yet-outdoorsy aesthetic acting as the ideal foil to summery and tailored pieces.
Exactly the kind of practical stompers you’d have derided as impossibly ugly when back-to-school shopping, fisherman sandals are identifiable by their combination of a T-bar upper fitted to a caged vamp. They typically boast buckled closures and chunky flat soles, making them easy to walk long distances in. Crafted from leather or suede, fisherman sandals represent a step up in the style stakes from sportier styles like Tevas, yet remain firmly rooted in practicality.
While The Row and Gabriela Hurst were among the first brands to co-opt the utilitarian style for their rather non-blue-collar clientele, other luxury fashion houses and affordable brands alike have joined in, releasing their own takes on fisherman sandals.
Herewith, the best fisherman sandals for men and women to shop at every price point.
1. Hereu Pesca Fisherman Sandal
Hereu is the ideal choice for fisherman sandals, with the Spanish footwear brand applying Mediterranean-inspired woven details from everything from loafers and heels to boots. Naturally, the brand nails the fisherman sandal, with its Pesca style a round-toe silhouette with cut-out details on the woven vamp.
Price: €480 (approx. $855AUD)
Materials: calf leather
2. Bared Crossbill
Pairing Bared’s signature supportive footbeds with the already comfortable fisherman sandal style, the Crossbill is a chunky sandal with thick straps across the vamp, intersected by a T-bar upper.
Price: $279AUD
Materials: leather upper, natural and synthetic rubber outsole
3. JosephT Victor Fisherman Sandals
Korean footwear brand JosephT makes solid unisex styles, with its Victor Fisherman Sandals no exception. Crafted from burnished calf leather and riding on durable Dainite outsoles, their stitched vamps offer a slightly sleeker yet satisfyingly comfortable take on the utilitarian summer staple.
Price: $189USD (approx. $290AUD)
Materials: calf leather, Dainite outsoles
4. Paraboot Pacific Sandal
The Pacific Sandal by heritage French brand Paraboot actually draw from style worn by Carthusian monks rather than fisherman, but they have the same built-for-purpose ethos. Designed to be comfortable enough to walk a few miles in, they pair a round-toe silhouette with rustic hand-stiched uppers, a closed back, and an eminently comfortable grippy gum sole.
Price: €340 (approx. $607AUD)
Materials: leather, natural gum sole
5. Heschung Meduse Sandal
With its origins in hiking boots and work shoes, Heschung knows how to make a comfortable shoe. The Alsatian footwear brand applies this technical know-how to the fisherman sandal category, with its Meduse Sandal offering a sleek, closed-back interpretation of the style in either black leather or taupe suede.
Price: €550 (approx. $983AUD)
Materials: calf leather, leather sole
6. Charles & Keith Easley T-Bar Caged Sandals
A trendy alternative for those who wish to avoid leather, the Charles & Keith Easley T-Bar Caged Sandals swaps the traditional criss-cross woven pattern for an edgy concentric interpretation. The straps and sole are less chunky than traditional fisherman sandals, meaning this style sits firmly on the ‘pretty’ side of the ugly-pretty axis.
Price: $103AUD
Materials: polyurethane/PU
7. Grenson Quinita Sandals
With its thick, interlocked woven straps and updated moulded footbed, the Grenson Quinita Sandals are a comfort-first style that simply happen to look good too.
Price: £195 (approx. $405AUD)
Materials: leather, rubber outsole
8. Radical Yes Arkestra 2.0 Fisherman Leather Sandal
Known for its commitment to comfortable flat shoes, the fisherman sandal style is the perfect fit for Australian brand Radical Yes. The Arkestra 2.0 Fisherman Leather Sandal is crafted from recycled leather and features unabashedly thick straps on the vamp, intersected by a T-bar upper. While most takes on the utilitarian shoe style stick to a neutral colour palette, Radical Yes offers up its Arkestra 2.0 Fisherman Leather Sandal in a striking shade of jade green, as well as the more conventional black, brown, and clay.
Price: $289AUD
Materials: leather, EVA outsole
9. Edie Collective The Isabel Fisherman Sandal
Offering a fresh, fashion girl-approved take on the style, the The Isabel Fisherman Sandal by vegan-friendly brand Edie Collective features an all-over woven vegan leather upper with an open-toe detail. The Isabel Fisherman Sandal forgoes the classic T-bar detail and opts for thinner straps for a more contemporary take on the style.
Price: $350AUD
Materials: vegan leather (recycled polyurethane)
10. The Row Fisherman Sandal
The OG, reimagined. Crafted from textured leather and devoid of a statement buckle, these chunky stompers from The Row are a decidedly pared-back take on the fisherman sandal.
Price: $1650AUD
Materials: leather, leather outsole
11. Loq Rio Fisherman Sandals
With its T-bar upper, interwoven vamp, and raw edges, the Loq Rio Sandals possess all the hallmarks of classic fisherman sandals, executed with a feminine touch.
Price: $585AUD
Materials: leather, leather outsole
12. Reformation Freya Fisherman Sandal
Streamlined and understated, the Reformation Freya Fisherman Sandal distils the trend into a refined almond-toe silhouette that works equally as well with summer dresses as it does with suiting.
Price: $430AUD
Materials: leather
Words by Arabella Johnson
