Answer Angel: Flip-flops

Ellen Warren, Tribune News Service on Jul 1, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: My partner and I disagree on the issue of when (and where) it is appropriate to wear casual flip-flops and when he should wear a more traditional shoe instead of the flip-flops he favors for many occasions.

Please share your opinion with us.

--Sophia M.

Dear Sophia: For starters, there are very few adults, men or women, whose toes would make the top 10 list of “My Best Feature.” This is true even of those who get regular pedicures. The older we get, the gnarlier our feet become. So, showing our toes (as one does in flip-flops) is not doing anybody any favors.

But there are occasions when flip-flops are practical and irresistible: the beach, the pool, a nudist colony. This would even include an elegant event like a destination wedding on the sandy beach of an oceanfront location. I’ve been to weddings where the couple even provided a varied size selection of new Old Navy rubber flip-flops for women (and men) who want to exchange their uncomfortable dress shoes for footwear that makes them want to get up and dance.

Most of the time, your partner would likely be better off choosing sandals that cover his toes — of which there are comfortable style options (often called Jerusalem or fisherman sandals) that still let the feet breathe and enjoy the nice weather with or without socks.

One more thing apropos of flip-flops: I am flabbergasted by the cost of designer flips such as the ones by The Row, the clothing line founded in 2006 by Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, the former child actor twins. Mind you, they are the same style and general fabrication as the Old Navy all-rubber $4.99 classic models. The twins’ similar rubber and cloth version (no leather!) cost $750. If you can, please explain to me why anyone—no matter now wealthy—would pay that much for so little.

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: When did women stop wearing necklaces to compliment fancy dresses? It drives me crazy to see bare necklines crying out for a necklace!

--Linda J.

Dear Linda: Necklaces of all kinds for fancy dresses as well as simple everyday women’s wear are still worn by fashionable women of all ages. Scroll through photos of the best-dressed stars at events like the Tony Awards, Oscars, Emmys and such and many of them are wearing not just necklaces but six- or seven-figure eye-poppers on loan from the world’s finest jewelers. I think a nice necklace (or multiple necklaces) at every price range can take a plain black dress from so-so to the knockout category.

Fear not, Linda. Necklaces will never go out of style. Wear them with everything, even with jeans and a T-shirt.

On the topic of celebrity dress-up…

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I was surprised to see Ephraim Sykes’ photo from the Tony Awards. The actor was wearing shorts with dangling threads that were hang to the knees. They looked like he’d taken a dull pair of scissors to a pair of full-length pants and cut them to knee length! Is this a fashionable look?

--Crissy K.

Dear Crissy: I had the same thought that the dangling threads on the multi-talented "Hamilton" actor/singer looked sloppy. But some fans disagreed! A style watcher on social media wrote: “One of my favorite looks of the night: Ephraim Sykes didn’t just show up — he styled up. Street wear meets red carpet, and he made it look effortless.… Ephraim reminded us that fashion doesn’t have to play it safe.”

Angelic Readers

Many suggestions for reader George D. who needed help to kill the odor of his two kitty litter pans: J. had the same problem but concluded that the worsening odor came from her old plastic pans, which, over time, absorbed the odor. New pans with new litter solved the problem. Christine T. says, “We struggled with managing the odor. Tried a stainless steel litter box and it really helped.” Gail A. switched from plastic to stainless steel: “Problem solved.”

Barrie H. writes: “Add a generous amount of baking soda to the bottom of a clean litter box before adding new litter and remove clumps daily. Start with a clean box every 10 days.” Anne C. R. says she buys large bags of baking soda at Costco. “After scooping out solids, cover the remaining litter generously with baking soda and top it off with more litter.”