Forget Ballet Flats—Chic Minimalists Always Pair LBDs With the Heeled Flip-Flops Trend
Hailey Bieber even ignored a restaurant's dress code to wear it.
Floral prints aren't the first thing to bloom in Hailey Bieber's closet each spring—she's too much of a minimalist for that. Little black dresses are her seasonal fixture, with perennial styling to match. She just inserts the year's respective It-shoe—like slingbacks in 2024 or ultra-pointy pumps in 2025—and voila, the spring LBD returns. Bieber's Spring 2026 shoe trend of choice? Heeled flip-flops, her favorite style for four seasons straight.
A Monday night reservation at Beverly Hills's Funke called for "dinner-appropriate attire," of which Bieber's sleeveless, knee-length LBD, oval sunglasses, and a croc-embossed clutch fit the bill. The Italian restaurant's dress code asked that guests "kindly refrain" from wearing thong sandals—but that couldn't keep Bieber away from her favorite pair. If anyone deserves a "get out of flip-flop jail free" card, it's her and her elevated take on the trend.
Hailey Bieber proved the heeled flip-flop trend can relax even the most luxe LBDs.
The Rhode founder's thongs aren't your average flimsy, $20 rubber find. She spares no expense for her black leather pairs. She's gotten her money's worth from The Row's $1,030 Sacha Sandals, since falling for their curved toes, calfskin straps, and stiletto heels two weeks ago. If Funke made an exception, it's because the managers knew Bieber's now-sold-out shoes were there to spearhead another Spring 2026 trend.
Bieber and Kendall Jenner are working in tandem to declare heeled flip-flops this season's closed-toe pumps substitute. (Jenner wore the same Sacha Sandals with an Adidas track jacket earlier this month.) Luckily for the close friends, there's plenty of runway evidence to back their pro-flip-flops claim. Similar styles click-clacked down the Spring 2026 catwalks of Aje, Bottega Veneta, and Christopher Esber. What's more, Max Mara debuted almost-identical pairs to Bieber's from The Row, down to the black leather straps and slim stiletto heels.
Max Mara presented almost the same style of flip-flops on its Spring 2026 runway.
Bottega Veneta introduced a white kitten heel version.
Aje's flip-flops blended in with the boho lace-trimmed dress.
Sure, Bieber rarely took off leather flip-flops last year, but she didn't have to revive them for round two. She could've gone all in on other Spring 2026 shoe trends, like high-vamp heels or backless loafers. But after last year, Bieber already trusted flip-flops to elevate even her most laidback looks. See? She had no doubt they'd complement her luxe spring LBDs, too.
Shop the Heeled Flip-Flops Trend Inspired by Hailey Bieber
