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You can embellish them with jewels like Gucci did or make them in a pretty pastel with a sky-high platform. But at the end of the day, dad sneakers are still ugly.
By some miracle (or mistake) back in 2018, the once much-mocked dad sneaker became a must-have — which really was all about the rise of normcore, or dressing like your dad did in the ’90s.
Fortunately, dad sneakers are on their way out in favor of more classic sneaker styles like Converse high-tops.
And one of the sneaker trends we’ve seen a lot of lately is slip-on sneakers. But these aren’t at all like the checkered Vans that you might remember back from the golden era of Tumblr, when so many tweens and teens had them.
The modern backless sneakers don’t need a sock (goodbye and good riddance, sock sneakers) since they have an open back and are called mule sneakers now — piggybacking off how mules and clogs have become so popular.
Brands like Superga and Keds have gone all in on mule sneakers, with ones that look a lot like classic sneakers but give your ankles some breathing room.
These open-backed sneakers are especially perfect for now, too. You can wear them while working from home if you feel weird being barefoot while talking to your boss and when you don’t want to deal with laces while going on a quick neighborhood walk.
So you might want to slip into mule sneakers when you’re just not feeling like walking around in your old slippers or slides.
Of course, we had to find the best mule sneakers out there. Here are our favorites below:
