For better or for worse, as Strategist editors and writers, we cannot turn off our shopping brains. In Saw Something, Said Something, we write about the tiniest of details that have caught our eye — status toothpaste in the background of Lizzo’s TikTok, a plant so rare it’s called a Birkin, or a specific face cream in a Roy sibling’s medicine cabinet.
In mid-May when Sandy Liang announced her engagement, I joked that she’d get married in Merrells. It was mostly an attempt at livening up the group Slack (that earned one measly squinting-laughing-emoji reaction, thanks), but my hypothesis was based on precedent: She’d written a haiku about the Encore Q2 Ices (within a whole ode to the shoe’s beluga-whale-shaped toe box and comfy, bread-loaf-like shape). She included a pair of feet-hugging mocs on her packing list for her Normal People–themed trip to Ireland. And in her daily life, she’s a known supporter of the brand, styling her own voluminous, bow-bedecked designs to contrast with the shoes’ New England utilitarianism.
But overnight, my offhand prediction came true when Liang posted a photo from her recent wedding in which a third pair of Merrells are clearly visible. Strategist writer Jeremy Rellosa immediately ID’ed them as the Moab Retro slides, citing the Vibram logo on the heel as the giveaway.
Like Liang’s Encores, these have a mulelike shape — but are a bit more streamlined with a suede upper (it is a formal occasion, after all). The bad news is that the Moabs are only available in white in a women’s 10 or 10.5; the men’s version in black has more sizes starting at a women’s 11 if you do the conversion. (And if neither of those work for you, these Jungle slides are similar but with a more upturned toe and vents on top.) But as always, we’ll be keeping an eye on stock — and if/when Liang wears a honeymoon Merrell.
Sandy Liang’s Merrell wardrobe
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