Sandy Liang Introduces the Next Phase of the Slipper Shoe Trend—and It's a Sleepy Girl's Dream

Somehow, it's getting cozier for fall.

three models wearing slipper shoes on the Sandy Liang runway
(Image credit: Launchmetrics)

Editors are as fixated on their sleep schedules as their show schedules during New York Fashion Week. Days start early; nights go late; sprinting from event to event turns even the most comfortable flats and heels into blister factories.

By the time Sandy Liang was set to present her Fall 2026 fashion show in the New York Academy of Medicine's library on the Upper East Side, front-row under-eye circles and whispered pleas for a Lorelai Gilmore-style coffee IV were as common as neck ties and political pins. So, the designer provided guests a look that would wake them right up—or at least speak to the highest-ranking item on their wish lists: a slumber party remix of the slipper shoe trend.

In a bow-laden collection inspired by Marie Antoinette's Petit Trianon (her private chateau on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles), Liang punctuated a few bedrot-but-make-it-fashion sweatsuits with white, fuzzy bunny slippers with a two-ish inch heels.

a model on the sandy liang runway wearing bunny slipper heels

Look 6 in Sandy Liang's Fall 2026 show kicked off an array of slipper shoes.

(Image credit: Launchmetrics)

a model wearing sandy liang slipper shoes on the fall 2026 runway

The first pairs resembled sleepover-approved bunny slippers—floppy ears and all.

(Image credit: Launchmetrics)

This turns the page on the slipper shoe trend we saw emerge last fall, when brands like Calvin Klein and The Row presented slip-on mules that attempted to disguise "I hit snooze five times this morning" energy beneath rich, elegant satin and leather. Their takes were much more understated. Liang's approach is direct, giving tired girls permission to go out looking like they truly just woke up and not hiding where their inspiration came from.

models at the Sandy Liang Fall 2026 Fashion Show wearing bunny slippers

Sandy Liang's twists on slipper shoes walking by my front row seat at the Fall 2026 fashion show.

(Image credit: Halie LeSavage)

Footwear wasn't the only place where Liang brought sleeping-in chic to the fore. Her collection notes' emphasis on "tactile metamorphosis" manifested as a floral bedspread reimagined as a quilted jacket, a two-piece pajama set cut from glossy pink satin, sleeping bag puffers, fur-trimmed coats, and jersey princess dresses.

a model on the runway wearing a bow topped dress and furry slipper shoes

Later in the show, models wore extra-fluffy heels set with contrasting bows...

(Image credit: Launchmetrics)

a model wearing slipper opera heels on the Sandy Liang fall 2026 runway

...and going-out dresses came completed with fleece-lined opera heels.

(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)

Even the looks that weren't quite so suited for lounging on the couch—like a paillette-coated mini dress bisected by a semi-sheer stomach panel, or a knit cardigan with ribbons trailing behind like streamers—came accompanied by a third and final twist on slipper shoes: ladylike opera heels trimmed not by lace or satin, but Ugg-adjacent fleece. Liang knows not every setting will allow actual bunny slippers, but these capture the same comfy-cozy feeling in a slightly dressier form.

All in all, this Fall 2026 runway put a signature Sandy Liang bow on a philosophy fashion girls know well: The best part of going out is getting ready...or just staying in, wearing nothing but princess pajamas and a fluffy pair of slippers.

Sandy Liang Fall 2026

Halie LeSavage
Senior Fashion News Editor

Halie LeSavage is the senior fashion news editor at Marie Claire, leading coverage of runway trends, emerging brands, style-meets-culture analysis, and celebrity style (especially Taylor Swift's). Her reporting ranges from profiles of beloved stylists, to exclusive red carpet interviews in her column, The Close-Up, to The A-List Edit, a newsletter where she tests celeb-approved trends IRL.

Halie has reported on style for eight years. Previously, she held fashion editor roles at Glamour, Morning Brew, and Harper’s Bazaar. She has been cited as a fashion expert in The Cut, CNN, Puck, Reuters, and more. In 2022, she earned the Hearst Spotlight Award for excellence in journalism. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Harvard College. For more, check out her Substack, Reliable Narrator.