The laws of attraction can be as unfathomable as they are unpredictable. Which could explain why, when meeting my husband Martin nearly 40 years ago, it wasn’t the most obvious aspects of his appearance that drew me in.

Yes, he had lovely floppy hair – think the Beatles easing out of their moptop phase – as well as a lazy smile that carried with it a whiff of mischief.

But what really snagged my attention was his choice of footwear. Specifically, a pair of coffee-coloured suede desert boots, worn insouciantly at odds with his formal suit.

Here, I thought, is a man I can do business with. One with humour, style, a sense of irony and willingness to poke fun at convention. What an irresistible combination.

Fast forward nearly four decades, however, and there has been – to put it kindly – a sharp decline in shoe style.

Long gone are those desert boots. Instead, as a keen walker and cyclist, he now waxes lyrical on the merits of OCs (that’s On Cloud running shoes for the uninitiated) versus Hokas.

But now that summer is here, a far more disturbing shoe is emerging among men. Sandals. Which is why I – and scores of other women – found ourselves nodding in agreement with a recent post on Mumsnet under the ‘Am I Being Unreasonable?’ tag.

‘AIBU to be getting second- hand embarrassment because my DH [dear husband] is wearing sandals?’ asked one user. ‘For the first time since I’ve known him, my 43-year-old DH has bought himself some sandals. I don’t know why but they make me cringe. I think sandals on men look so naff and “old man”.

Some women have taken umbrage at their husbands wearing sandals such as these

The shoes have an unholy power to kill even the most appealing items in a man’s wardrobe, writes Angela Epstein

The debate has divided Mumsnet users this month, with some viewing the footwear as practical and others regarding them as 'unmanly'

‘I’ve put a photo of the pair he has bought on this post. AIBU or do they look really naff and embarrassing?!’

The offending sandals, pictured above, were the Keen Drift Creek H2 Walking Sandals – a ghastly khaki strappy specimen with an enclosed toe (not necessarily a blessing). The response was visceral. One user avowed they gave her ‘the heaving ick’. Another declared: ‘I would tell him outright to return them immediately.’ Quite.

Sorry fellas, but no man looks good in sandals unless tending sheep in ancient Greece, wrapped in a barely-there tunic with skin bronzed by the unforgiving Hellenic sun.

Sandals have an unholy power to kill even the most appealing items in a man’s wardrobe. Pairing sandals with, say, tailored jeans, chinos or smart shorts instantly turns your ensemble from smart to ‘teacher on a field trip’. You can almost smell the damp grass.

To my mind, a man’s sandal is a contradiction in terms – because, by definition, a sandal is usually something soft and delicate. Not qualities routinely associated with men judging by the explosion of gnarly toes and calloused heels suddenly on display whenever we’re blessed by warm weather.

So, what’s the alternative?

While, thankfully, Martin doesn’t really do sandals, he does indulge in an equal summer horror: Crocs.

I hate everything about the way men look in these shapeless, structureless wardrobe horrors, from the tips of their bulbous toes to the pockmark ventilating holes.

I mean, have you ever seen James Bond slip into slingbacks before striding out to save the world? (Mind you, one glimpse might have beaten his enemies into retreat.)

I’ve frequently asked Martin to take them off but, everlasting schoolboy that he is, he just winks and cheekily tells me I don’t appreciate how good they look, how light, airy and comfortable they are.

Sadly, when it comes to men’s summer shoes, in my view there isn’t a single redeeming style. Even deck shoes draw my ire (if it can’t be worn with socks, I’m against it). I wish Martin and his cohort would stick to their running shoes.

Fashionistas may claim that the dressier leather ‘mandals’ worn by the likes of Timothee Chalamet and David Beckham are an exception to the rule, but in the real world women aren’t buying it.

And we really (really) wish our husbands wouldn’t either.