Flip flops, which are flat rubber thonged sandals, are summer casual beachwear. They are meant to be worn at the beach with swim wear or worn casually with shorts. They are also frequently seen in locker room showers.
Never ever are flip flops to be worn with dressy attire or to a nice restaurant during dinner hours.
This evening, while dining in a nicer restaurant, I was admiring the lovely dress of the young lady seated next to me and looked down to notice she was wearing flip flops! As I was leaving the restaurant, I saw another young lady wearing flip flops with a social pant suit. In both cases, what could have been a very flattering, elegant look, was killed by the flip flops. What surprised me even more was the fact they were donning these flip flops when the temperature was still less than 50 degrees. That is not a beach wear demanding temperature by my standards.
A few years ago, I remember reading an article about a college student wearing flip flops with a sun dress when she visited the President at the White House. Her mother was appalled when she saw the photo in the newspaper.
Shoes need to be appropriate to the attire we are wearing. Casual shoes are worn with casual attire. Dress shoes are worn with business, Sunday, or evening attire. Evening sandals, satin shoes, or shoes adorned with beading and sequins are worn with evening, cocktail, and social attire.
Remember to keep the theme and color consistent. Hopefully, you would not wear an evening gown with white sneakers to gym class. Would you?