Elevated Flip-Flops Are the Most Untouchable Sandal Trend on It Girls' Shoe Racks
In fact, Hailey Bieber and Sofia Richie Grainge are picking up new pairs.
Flip-flops have become so ingrained in 2026 street style, I don't remember which grab-and-go shoe trend It girls wore before them.
Was there ever a time when thong sandals didn't take up permanent residence on VIPs' welcome mats? Believe it or not, yes. Shoe collectors have either loved or hated them for decades. Public opinion changed significantly once The Row began styling their Spring 2021 trousers with understated flip-flops. In the years to come, shoes with a similar rhythmic thwack marched in Coperni, Chloé, Burberry, Gabriela Hearst, Chanel, and Miu Miu's spring runway shows. By 2025, fashion search engine Lyst crowned The Row Dune Sandal—the unofficial leader of the flip-flop pack—the "Hottest Item" of Q2 2025.
Meanwhile, Kendall Jenner traded Birkenstocks for thongs; Jennifer Lawrence walked the 2023 Cannes Film Festival red carpet in black flip-flops; and Zoë Kravitz pledged loyalty to several pairs by The Row . This summer, Lawrence remains a diehard Dune Sandal girl; Hailey Bieber rarely takes off Toteme's kitten heels; and Zendaya is sampling the style's platform sub-genre.
Needless to say, it's the flip-flop trend's world and we're all just living in it. That's not to say the hero shoe already reached its peak. In late June, Google Trends reported flip-flops are being searched now more than ever.
Ahead, see how celebrities are styling the flip-flop trend for yet another summer. Don't be afraid to stock up, either. As celebrity street style history has taught us, thong sandals aren't going anywhere.
Jennifer Lawrence's The Row Flip-Flops Outfit
In late April, Jennifer Lawrence brought her The Row Dune Sandals out of retirement.
This time last year, everyone from Dakota Johnson and Kendall Jenner to Zoë Kravitz and Jennifer Lawrence wore The Row's Dune Sandals with pride.
April 2026's first 65-degree day brought Lawrence's Dunes out of hiding. She wore Johnson and Kravitz's favorite pair—tomato-red rubber soles with black V-shaped straps—alongside floral easy pants, a chocolate brown cardigan, and her newest Dior by Jonathan Anderson bag (at the time).
Hailey Bieber's Heeled Flip-Flops Outfit
Hailey Bieber's relationship with Toteme thongs is still going strong.
I have a sneaking suspicion Hailey Bieber feels naked without Toteme's heeled flip-flops. They're one of her shoe rack's longest-running regulars, returning as recently as a mid-May trip to New York City. She hasn't stopped loving the look of jeans and flip-flops, either. That's the power of The Row—the Olsen twin-led label's Spring 2025 line endorsed the unlikely duo.
Zendaya's Platform Flip-Flops Outfit
Zendaya had no trouble pulling off platform flip-flops from The Row.
The Row's flip-flop catalog can't be stopped. In late May, newlywed Zendaya gave bridal-white Christian Louboutins the evening off. Instead, she accessorized her black long-sleeve and linen trousers with The Row's Ginza Platform Flip-Flops. They didn't stand quite as tall as Lizzie McGuire's sky-high slides. One-inch thick soles (and a $990 price tag) modernized the silhouette's Y2K roots.
Kaia Gerber's Heeled Flip-Flops Outfit
Kaia Gerber doubled up on Mango designs with strappy heeled flip-flops.
Flip-flops are to Hailey Bieber as Repetto ballet flats are to Kaia Gerber. However, if any fashion label can influence the model to make the switch, it's Mango. On May 26, Gerber grabbed dinner in Mango's funnel-neck jacket and strappy black sandals. They mirrored the same, itty-bitty bands as Bieber's beloved Totemes, but each strap continued around her ankle, slingback style.
Jodie Comer's Heeled Flip-Flops Outfit
Jodie Comer's ankle-strap thongs looked as secure as sneakers.
Between Gerber's kitten heels and Jodie Comer's stilettos, flip-flops seem to be taking a supportive turn. The latter It girl never ran the risk of slipping out of her four-figure Christen sandals on June 9. Black leather straps clung to the Killing Eve star's legs like ribbons on pointe shoes. They also featured some of the trend's tallest heels, coming in at approximately four inches.
Sofia Richie Grainge's Heeled Flip-Flops Outfit
Sofia Richie Grainge posed on vacation in the heeled flip-flops trend.
On the off chance she wasn't sporting Adidas Tokyo sneakers in Japan, Sofia Richie Grainge click-clacked around in heeled, taupe-tinted thongs from Jude. A tiny kitten heel set them apart from Bieber or Lawrence's flip-flops. To finish, V-shaped straps traded places with thick horizontal bands, which stretched from one side of her arches to the other.
Milly Alcock's Kitten Heel Flip-Flops Outfit
Milly Alcock was spotted mid-Supergirl press tour in Vivaia's flip-flops.
Little did Supergirl star Milly Alcock know, Anne Hathaway would wear her Vivaia flip-flops with one of her first pregnancy outfits. A few weeks prior, Alcock sourced Bella Hadid's go-to ballet sneakers brand for strawberry red sandals. She dressed them down with a pinstripe long-sleeve and Bermuda shorts.
Then, on June 30, the same $129 pair helped a pregnant Hathaway embark on The Odyssey press tour. So, they're Gen Z and rich mom-approved.
