Something incredible happened in the fashion industry over the past couple years.

It started with sneakers and Birkenstocks appearing on editors and bloggers at Fashion Week, and now, two years later, we're in a full-blown ERA of on-trend comfort shoes. They couldn't have picked a better article of clothing to comfortize (and yes, I just made up that word).

Birkenstocks are ubiquitous at this point, so why not broaden your horizons this summer and slip into some sleek, wide-strap sandals with blissfully cushioned footbeds? Pretty much every brand is capitalizing on the trend, from spendy Alexander Wang to cheapo Steve Madden.

Here are a few of my faves: (clockwise from top left)

Born 'Mardel' Sandals from Shoes.com, $95 (four colors)
Softwalk 'Elements' Sandals from Shoes.com, $109 (three colors)
Alexander Wang 'Alisha' Sandals from Nordstrom, $495 (two colors)
Steve Madden 'Okra' Sandals from Macy's, $79 (three colors)
Dolce Vita 'Ziggie' Sandals from Nordstrom.com, $89 (two colors)
Atelije 71 'Astra' Sandals from Nordstrom, $195 (two colors)