Shoe Miscegenation
For your edification, a few shoe definitions (these are mine, but there are lots more at Kristopher Dukes):
Clog: shoe with heavy, possibly wooden, sole.
Mule: closed-toe, open-heel shoe.
Slide: Open toe and heel.
Loafer: casual leather shoe.
The definitions are confusing, and this is more specificity than most people need. But yesterday I saw not one, but two, people commit the same foot faux pas, a loafer mule. One was on a woman, another on a man. Loafers and mules don’t mix. Mules in the animal world are the sterile offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Use the animal world as your guide. Mules are meant to be cute and kicky. Don’t try to force unnatural alliances like the open-backed loafer.
Further, mules are not meant to be worn with socks. Neither are sandals. Loafers can be worn with or without socks. And the term “casual clog” is redundant, because it implies that there is such a thing as a “dress clog.”
These rules are here to protect not only your feet, but your image. If you have questions, or disagree, spend some quality time in the archives of Manolo’s Shoe Blog. Manolo, he is a man who knows the thing or two about the feets. I’m fairly certain he’d back me up on all of the above.