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If it’s true that you can judge a person by their shoes, then it’s perhaps even more so when it comes to their slippers. What you choose to put on your feet in your own home is a window into what you value most. As such, buying the perfect pair for yourself is an act of self-nurture.
If that all feels too hyperbolic, it feels safe to say that they’re at least a reflection of your favourite mode of relaxation and how high you like to turn up the heating.
I’ve been hooked on slippers ever since my best friend bought me a hot-pink pair with monsters on when I was 10. Today, I write about style for a living, and have a healthy obsession with not letting my feet get cold – I have swallowed whole the idea that cold feet mean you can’t sleep. I also strongly believe that the right slipper can truly make time at home feel 110% more cosy, productive, sociable or fun; whatever you need it to be on any given day.
I’ve narrowed down the perfect pairs. Whether you’re after the best slippers for winter, a pair that will stand up to a hotel breakfast, or a practical design for the occasional trip to the bins, read on.
The best slippers for men and women in 2025
For warm feet on cold days
Solace slippers
I’m a big fan of a mule slipper you can wear at the same time as your chunkiest sock, especially in the depths of winter. If you are too, then these mules may be just what you’re after. Cosy and ready for an alpine chalet in the brown, they’re much less appealing in the cold grey. Wear with a red, green or even – bonus points! – tartan sock for the Home Alone festive vibe that’s making this winter a maximalist, Ralph Lauren-adjacent 90s fest.
Natural grey slipper
These cosy wool slip-ons from Danish brand Egos are on my feet right now. They may not be the prettiest slippers, but they’re among the best I’ve ever had the pleasure to own. I bought them two years ago and have worn them daily every winter since, yet they still seem as if they have years left in them.
I like a slipper you can slip on and off with ease – with a bit of a sole, but still feeling soft and supple. They also need to be neutral enough to suit even the most colour-clashing outfit you wear behind closed doors. These ones, designed in Copenhagen and handmade in Nepal, offer all of that. Plus, presumably designed with Danish winter in mind, they would keep feet warm well into the Arctic Circle.
If the somewhat sombre grey doesn’t do it for you, they also come in rusty red, light blue and lime green.
Salt Plains sheepskin slipper mules
“Ethically minded small business” the Small Home makes these slippers out of British sheepskin. They come in a trio of understated colours, each with a different pattern embroidered on the upper. All feature a fluffy inside layer that will make feet feel loved.
They’re handmade on a small scale, and the company says it sources its sheepskin from a supplier with the highest animal welfare standards, using either byproducts from the meat industry or off-cuts from Rolls-Royce car interiors. They look like something Sienna Miller may have slipped into at home in Primrose Hill during the 00s.
Suede cow print clog slippers
This pair of cow-print slippers from Marks & Spencer is perfect if you like to have warm feet without totally abandoning looking au courant. With a chunky grip that would – aptly but perhaps not very usefully – stand you in good stead in a muddy field, they’ll be as great for at-home parties as for days spent chewing the fat with your family. If the cow print is sold out in your size, you could try the more classic leopard-print ones.
For at-home entertaining
Dansoft leather ballet shoes
The slippers you receive guests in are a good indicator of the kind of host you are. When my ever-immaculate colleague Jess Cartner-Morley suggested these ballet shoes as the “world’s most elegant slipper”, she gave a strong hint that dinner at her house is an elegant affair. A shoe designed for ballet will also prove an excellent choice if dinner escalates into dancing in the kitchen. But for all of the highbrow associations, these ballet shoes cost a very reasonable £22.
Koritsi Hydra slippers
If you’re more likely to have friends round for pizza on the sofa – or wine on the floor – then perhaps these will be more your speed. Handmade in a workshop in Greece, these slippers lasted me for years, despite the pom-pom proving a tempting target for my cat. The inside might be wool, but be warned, I found them surprisingly chilly without a sock. They come in various stitched designs and colours and have a practical leather sole.
For taking the bins out
Lined slippers
If you’re looking for glamour in a slipper, then look away now. These mules, available in workhorse dark green and navy, come in hard-wearing nylon cord. Reasonable, at £35, they’re a donkey of a slipper. Treat them well, and they’ll work hard around the home while also carrying you steadfastly down to the bins. The good grips should stop you slipping on a frosty morning, while the fluffy lining will keep toes toasty.
Howser III Slide
These slippers from the outdoorsy US brand Keen are another pair unafraid of a bit of hard work. Again, nobody said they were elegant, but they would stand up well to excursions outside. Their bungees tighten for a cosier fit and the soles give some traction on a frosty garden path. The black nylon model will wipe down particularly well, should any bin juice come their way.
You’re not a slipper person, but don’t want cold feet
Iwata bed socks
This is not a serious slipper; this is a non-slipper for the person who, for whatever reason, doesn’t like slippers. Technically bed socks, these carefree beauties are made in Japan by sleep specialist Iwata out of all-natural materials. For all their frivolity, they do make a concession to practicality and can be gently hand-washed. Perhaps best of all, looking down at these is bound to elicit a smile. Rarely will your feet have been so cosy, or looked so joyously daft.
Currently only available in medium, large and extra-large, so it looks like, for the moment at least, the larger-footed among us are going to be the ones with the most supremely cosy feet.
For taking away with you
Merippa slippers
Reversible with collapsable heels, these look like a slipper worn by someone who knows their way around Adobe Illustrator. Hailing from Japan, they pack down tightly and are lightweight. They may be a slouch of a slipper, but they’re also chic in the kind of IYKYK (“if-you-know-you-know”) way. Knitted and hand-finished, they’re available in various patchworks of seasonal fabrics.
Mim felt slipper
While these are a bit more substantial, they’re the work of minimalist shoe company Vivobarefoot. The brand specialises in barely there shoes, and this pair can curl up tight like a cinnamon bun for fitting into a crammed suitcase. They won’t show you up if you’re a houseguest for the weekend, and they’re muted enough to go with anything you’ve packed. They’re made in partnership with Mongolian craftswomen using 100% wool felt, have an easy-to-clean leather sole. But if this is the slipper of choice for you, you’re very much not alone– they’re only available in a few remaining sizes.
For working from home
Mahabis classic slippers
The pandemic convinced me and many others that wearing shoes to work from home increases productivity. Enter this more-professional-than-your-average slipper, weighted with corporate greatness – the brand is popular with the Silicon Valley crowd, and the price is certainly more in line with corporate budgets. Wool, washable and with a neoprene heel to lock in your foot, they certainly help me feel more switched on, even while I’m on the sofa.
Wabi One slippers
Sleek in design, these well-built slippers should last long after Q4 is over. They’re available in a pleasingly wide range of professional tones, as well as very fun hot pinks and highlighter yellows. Perhaps most intriguing of all is the chance to print your own message across the design. Whether you go for a motivational mantra or something a bit more NSFW is up to you.
Keep the rest of your home office toasty with our guide to the best electric heaters
For cool feet on warm days
Havaianas flip-flops
Some prefer to go barefoot in the summer months, but for those like me who still like some sole, a pair of Havaianas is perfect. While most other flip-flops I’ve tried have earned their “toe killer” nickname, Havaianas caress the toe joint with a little more tenderness. And they come in a rainbow of fun colours.
The company says that 40% of the sole is made from rubber scraps recycled from the production process, but I still like to find them secondhand – well, almost. If you don’t like the thought of someone else’s feet, look on Vinted or similar for new ones, either with or without tags. Plenty of people seem to buy the wrong pair and off-load them untouched.
Birkenstock Madrid sandals
Another ideal house shoe for warmer months or climes, these sleek Birkenstocks are easy to slip on and off. They’ll work for popping outside for a spot of watering – helpfully, they’re waterproof – and they’re comfy enough to wear around the house. They come in regular and narrow fit.
For more:
The best women’s pyjamas
The best men’s pyjamas
The best electric blankets, tested
Ellie Bramley is the Guardian’s fashion and lifestyle editor one day a week, and spends the other days working from home wearing an assortment of slippers to fit her mood and the task at hand. Whether needing to feel like a serious professional (with warm feet), a cook in a kitchen with very cold floor tiles or just hanging out and pretending to be a vampire bat with her three-year-old, she gets ample opportunity to put slippers through their paces. Plus, as someone who values garments that last, she thinks there’s nothing worse than a bad-quality pair that disintegrates like Weetabix after the first month
This article was originally published on 28 December 2024. Reviews published in the Filter may be periodically updated to reflect new products and at the editor’s discretion. The date of an article’s most recent update can be found in the timestamp at the top of the page. This article was amended on 22 December 2025; five new slippers were added, and prices were updated throughout.
