Normally, I don’t think of myself as a sandals type of guy. Even when I head down to Miami every year for the WMC, I’m rocking shelltoes or dunks on the beach. However, I’ve had my eyes on the Christo sandal by the Japanese label Visvim (they don’t have a website, but you can buy their stuff at yoox.com, grandism.com, and slamjam.com), which has attained a cult-like status there, as well as with stateside hypebeasts like myself. So when I got an excuse to buy a pair recently (an upcoming Hawaii vacation) I jumped on them. Inspired by the famous artist Christo, the Visvim Christo wraps your foot in a smooth one-piece leather forefoot wrapping, while the soles of your feet rest on the fully leather-laminated orthodic footbed. The ultralight EVA Pylon midsole gives the Christo’s a sneaker-like feel and function.

This particular version is called the “Desert.” I’ve seen a lot of other versions and collaborations, including the Island series, which use all synthetics for a more water-friendly design. Some collabos have included Clot, Neighborhood, Fil, and Undercover. You can find many of these on Ebay, but watch out because there’s a lot of fakes showing up these days. The Christo is lightweight yet chunky, protecting my feet enough to feel secure walking the NYC streets or even riding my bike in midtown traffic. Too bad Fall is here and the temperatures are dropping quickly… looks like I need to book more vacations!

More pics after the jump…