Tommy Bahama is a brand geared toward successful upper middle-class men nearing or just after retirement. Their neo-Hawaiian inspired button up short sleeve shirts, khaki shorts and flip flops are a staple among the cruise ship, luau, and wine club scene.
The Tommy Bahama Fiji flip flop carries their iconic silver fox styling from head to toe. Their trade-marked sail fish icon leaps from the leather pad above the toe post. The aqua blue strap with white racing stripe helps them to stand out from the crowd of boring brown and black flip flops. They look pretty good.
“…carries their silver fox styling from head to toe.”
Sadly, the effort put into their styling does not carry over into their construction. Slipping my foot into them it is immediately obvious that things have gone badly wrong. The strap is so loose that none of it touches my foot. My feet are only in contact with the sole and toe post. It is such an unusually large gap that I decided to measure the amount of excess by folding the strap over on itself until it met my foot. All told the excess was over a full inch of unneeded strap. This has got to be a record.
That’s when it clicked. I’ve never been to Fiji, but if these flip flops are any indication of life on that tropical island paradise, it is obvious that one just goes barefoot there. I’m forced to conclude that these flip flops were made to be placed at the foot of a lanai to accentuate the Tommy Bahama shirt and shorts. Much like a beautiful trophy wife was never meant for conversation. These flip flops were never intended to be worn.
