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The cast of The Devil Wears Prada 2 had strong feelings about Crocs — and they weren’t kind. Here are the sustainable, comfortable slip-ons worth wearing instead.
If you’ve ever caught yourself eyeing a pair of Crocs at an airport shop — reasoning that you’re on vacation, that no one knows you here, that comfort should win just this once — you’re not alone. The appeal of the foam clog is a specific kind of low-stakes temptation, and it has hooked everyone from nurses to Balenciaga. But when the cast of The Devil Wears Prada 2 sat down with LADbible for its Agree to Disagree roundtable, the verdict arrived fast and without hedging.
“Heinous things,” Emily Blunt said of Crocs. “You should never ever wear them.” Meryl Streep — who as Miranda Priestly spent two films defining what belongs, and decidedly does not belong, on a well-dressed foot — offered her own diagnosis: “Usually the people who wear them wear them with cargo pants.” Anne Hathaway appeared ready to soften the room. “I’ve seen people make cute Crocs,” she said. Streep didn’t pause: “For three-year-olds.”
The exchange landed on LADbible’s Instagram to the tune of 226,000 likes and counting, reflecting a cultural moment that has been building for a while. Crocs shares fell 30 percent in 2025, according to FashionUnited, as the irony-driven wave that once elevated the clog — through collaborations with Balenciaga, Simone Rocha, and Salehe Bembury — began to exhaust itself. Time Magazine named Crocs one of its 50 Worst Inventions back in 2010, deeming it just “attractive enough to do your laundry in,” and the charge has a way of sticking. Julia Hobbs of British Vogue put it plainly, writing in 2017 that Crocs “have an unrivalled ability to repel onlookers and induce sneers” — a quality that not even the most committed high-low styling can permanently reframe.
The underlying appeal, though, is worth taking seriously: a slip-on shoe that requires no thought, no break-in period, and no suffering by mile three. That shoe absolutely exists — it just doesn’t have to be a Croc. The sustainable footwear space has matured considerably, and what’s available now in terms of design, comfort, and ethics is genuinely worth a wardrobe update.
Better Shoes, Better Planet
The most compelling eco-friendly slip-ons on the market right now aren’t the compromise pieces they once were. Several brands have closed the gap between intention and execution so completely that the sustainability angle almost becomes a footnote — the shoes just hold up on their own merits.
Allbirds Kiwi Clog
The future is uncertain for Allbirds shoes as the company recently announced its pivot into AI, so grab these cozy slip-ons before the bots get ’em. The Kiwi Clog is Allbirds’ purpose-built slip-on, made from post-consumer wool and post-consumer recycled polyester — with a sugarcane-based SweetFoam midsole for cushioning. It’s breathable and pulls on without ceremony, which matters when you’re considering what’s actually competing with the foam clog in the back of your closet. At $110, it’s also among the most accessible options on this list.
Rothy’s Casual Clog
Rothy’s has built its entire identity around turning recycled plastic bottles into polished footwear — 11 per pair, to be exact. The Casual Clog is round-toed, machine washable, and breaks in almost immediately, which is genuinely less common than it should be at this price point. It sits cleanly in the office-to-errand category without telegraphing an effort level in either direction.
Seavees Tiburon Trekker
Seavees makes a convincing case for the slide as the most practical thing in a sustainable wardrobe. The Tiburon Trekker is crafted from recycled materials and comes with teardrop-shaped footbed insoles designed for full-day comfort. Its round toe and streamlined upper land at a considered middle ground between polished and casual — put-together enough for most situations, without making a production of it.
Birkenstock Boston Clog
The irony of recommending a clog as the Croc antidote is not lost here — but the Birkenstock Boston earns its place on this list by being everything the foam clog aspires to be and actually isn’t. This vegan version is made with Birko-Flor, a synthetic nubuck alternative that is animal-free and independently verified as such, over the brand’s signature cork-latex footbed — which molds to the shape of your foot over time and provides the kind of arch support that makes a full day of wear feel like a legitimate choice rather than a sacrifice. It’s priced accessibly for the quality, and it has the distinct advantage of being one of the most universally recognized silhouettes in footwear, which means it reads as intentional the moment you put it on.
Veja Etna
The French label has become the benchmark for what elevated sustainable footwear looks like in practice. Veja sources organic cotton from Brazil and Peru, uses wild-harvested Amazonian rubber for its soles, and maintains one of the most transparent supply chains in the industry — with its website detailing material origins, certifications, and supplier payments. The Etna is the brand’s most wearable everyday silhouette — a clean, low-profile sandal available in chrome-free leather and organic cotton that earns its place on editors’ feet because it’s genuinely comfortable enough to walk in all day.
Boden Lyla Color Block Clogs
If comfort is your reason for defaulting to Crocs, Boden gives you every reason to make the switch with these colorful pink and green clogs. With Birkenstock-like cork insole comfort, you’ll slide into these and forget you have anything on your feet. The reviews call these comfortable and stylish — perfect for the office, brunch, the farmers’ market, or the garden.
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