The Best Arch Support Sandals for a Supported Summer

Summer's coming, and so are the flat thongs. Here's how to keep your arch support once the winter shoes go back in the cupboard, plus the four Vionic sandals we'd pick.

Ben Parnham Senior Copywriter at The Comfort Co, the team behind Vionic in Australia. He manages a back injury from 2014 with the alignment and daily movement that comfort shoes make possible.

There's nothing quite like that first warm weekend when we dust off our sandals for another beautiful summer. Unfortunately, for a lot of us, when the winter shoes go away, our arch support does too. Soon enough, those flat thongs you've been dreaming about wearing again become a nightmare.

With Vionic, support is built into the footbed, so you don't have to choose between an open shoe and a supported one. This year, we're having a supported summer! Our four picks for the season are the Reese Back Strap Sandal, the Essie Strappy Sandal, the Ramsey Sandal and the Sabrina Flatform Sandal, and every one of them sits on Vio Motion™, our podiatrist-designed footbed with a contoured arch, a deep heel cup and cushioning underfoot.¹

Four Vionic sandals for a supported summer

All of the sandals in the Vionic range come with our iconic, podiatrist-designed Vio Motion support. These four are our picks of the season. But every sandal in our range will tick the boxes.

In a sandal, the straps are what keep your foot sitting on the arch rather than sliding off the front of it, so the style you pick changes how you'll wear it. Here's how we'd match them up:

• For weekends and walking: the Reese Back Strap Sandal.
• For fine-tuning the fit: the Essie Strappy Sandal.
• For every day: the Ramsey Sandal.
• For going out: the Sabrina Flatform Sandal.

For weekends

Reese Back Strap Sandal

Hook-and-loop straps across the foot and a back strap behind the heel keep your foot right where the arch is, step after step, which makes this the one for long days on your feet. APMA accepted, with a 3.8cm heel.

Shop the Reese

For fine-tuning the fit

Essie Strappy Sandal

Three hook-and-loop adjustment points, the most of any sandal here, so you can let it out when your feet swell on a hot afternoon. Asymmetric straps and V-logo hardware give it more polish than the Reese, on a roughly 3cm heel with an APMA Seal.

Shop the Essie

For every day

Ramsey Sandal

The one you'll end up wearing on repeat. A low-profile strappy sandal with adjustable closures and built-in arch support. It's new this season and has been absolutely FLYING off shelves. So get it quick!

Shop the Ramsey

For going out

Sabrina Flatform Sandal

Height without the heel! Broad crossover straps on an elevated flatform, with Vio Motion still doing the work underneath. The back strap adjusts, so you can fine-tune the fit as the day warms up, and those broad crossover straps keep your foot held securely over the footbed.

Shop the Sabrina

Two more we'd happily point you to. If your sandal days are walking days, the Walk Max Wanderer Sandal pairs Vio Motion with the same Super Critical Foam midsole as our Walk Max sneaker, and it's been comfort-tested by Heeluxe. The Cypress Back Strap Sandal is the Reese's leather cousin (two straps, a back strap and an APMA Seal).

If you wear a wide fit

Of our four picks above, only the Reese comes in a wide fit, listed in a wide (D) width on its product page. If you wear a wide, here are some great picks. It could be more important than you think. A new RMIT study suggests most Aussie women are wearing shoes that don't fit, and a sandal that's too narrow pushes your foot off the very support you bought it for.

Wide fit

Mar Platform Sandal

A dressier wide-fit option with a leather upper, an adjustable hook-and-loop ankle strap and a low platform of about 2cm. The lightweight, contoured footbed makes it easy to wear all day, and it carries the APMA Seal.

Shop the Mar

Wide (D) fit

Laurel Strappy Sandal

A wide (D) width with a secure multi-strap fit, an adjustable strap, hook-and-loop closures and a zip at the back for easy on and off. The lightweight lugged sole makes it a great one for days that keep moving.

Shop the Laurel

Want more options? Browse the full wide-fit sandal range.

Can you wear your own orthotics in Vionic sandals?

Unfortunately, no. But our friends at Revere have you covered for that.

The good news is that unless you have something specific you NEED that custom orthotic for, the built-in support will be enough to keep even the most pedantic podiatrist happy. The contour, heel cup and cushioning are built right into the sole, which is how the sandal stays slim and strappy instead of bulking up to fit an insert.

If your podiatrist has fitted you with a custom orthotic for a reason, that's where Revere comes in. Revere sandals have a footbed that lifts out, a strip of velcro underneath that grips your orthotic so it won't slide around, and footbed walls that sit slightly raised, so your device drops in and looks built-in rather than perched on top. The Comfort Co has the full rundown in its guide to the best orthotic-friendly sandals in Australia.

What makes a sandal an orthotic sandal

Most thongs and flat sandals are a flat slab of foam under your foot. Fine for a dash to the shops, but there's nothing holding your arch up. An orthotic sandal swaps that slab for a shaped footbed that does a lot of the work a separate insert would. Ours is Vio Motion, developed in the Vionic Innovation Lab with specialists in lower-limb biomechanics.¹ Vionic carries the APMA Seal of Acceptance, which the American Podiatric Medical Association awards to footwear its podiatrist committee has reviewed as promoting foot health.³

Built-in support or bring your own: which are you?

You're in the built-in camp, and a Vionic sandal is a great fit, if:

• You love the feel of arch support but have never been fitted with a custom orthotic.
• You wear an off-the-shelf insert in your sneakers and want the same feeling in summer, without moving it from shoe to shoe.
• You want a slim, strappy sandal rather than a deeper one built to hold a device.

You're in the bring-your-own camp if your podiatrist has fitted you with a custom orthotic and asked you to wear it most of the day. Not sure which one you are? A podiatrist can tell you, and the Australian Podiatry Association lists practitioners near you.⁴

Getting the fit right

Do your straps up in the afternoon, when your feet are at their biggest, and leave about a finger's width of give. A strap that feels perfect at breakfast can pinch by 3pm on a 30-degree day.

Coming straight from flat thongs? The arch will feel noticeable at first, and that's completely normal. Our own guidance on our product pages suggests wearing them for a few hours a day for the first few days, with full comfort usually within one to two weeks, and that's a good rule for any contoured footbed.² If you want the bigger picture on why the shape matters, The Comfort Co explains what orthotic-friendly footwear is and how it differs.

Vionic sandal FAQs

What are the best Vionic sandals for arch support?

All Vionic sandals are built on Vio Motion, which pairs a contoured arch with a deep heel cup, shock-absorbing cushioning and a flexible forefoot, so the best Vionic sandal for arch support is the one you're going to love the most. This summer, our picks are the Reese Back Strap Sandal, the Essie Strappy Sandal, the Ramsey Sandal and the Sabrina Flatform Sandal.

Can you put orthotics in Vionic sandals?

No. Vionic sandals have a fixed footbed that does not lift out. The arch support is built into the sole, so they suit people who want support without an insert. If you wear a custom orthotic, choose a sandal with a removable footbed instead, such as Revere.

What is an orthotic sandal?

An orthotic sandal has a shaped, supportive footbed built into the sole, with a contoured arch and a heel cup, in place of the flat footbed of a standard sandal or thong. It is different from an orthotic-friendly sandal, which has a removable footbed so you can fit your own device.

Are Vionic sandals podiatrist approved?

Vionic's Vio Motion footbed is podiatrist-designed, and several Vionic sandals, including the Reese, Essie and Cypress, carry the APMA Seal of Acceptance from the American Podiatric Medical Association.

Which Vionic sandal is best for wider feet?

Vionic has a huge range of wide-fit sandals. From our picks, the Reese Back Strap Sandal comes in a wide (D) width, and the Laurel Strappy Sandal and Mar Platform Sandal are other great wide-fit options.

Still deciding? Think about the summer you've actually got planned and pick the pair that fits it. Whichever one you choose, the support comes built in.