Flip-Flops and Sweatpants Are Mary-Kate Olsen's Hamptons Uniform

Mary-Kate Olsen walks in the Hamptons wearing a graphic t-shirt with sweatpants and flip flops

(Image credit: Matt Agudo/INSTARimages.com)

On a July 1 walk through the Hamptons, Mary-Kate Olsen asked me to reconsider everything I thought I knew about the elite vacation destination's dress code.

When I think of the Hamptons, I envision Jennifer Lopez riding her bike in vintage Chanel, Jennifer Lopez staging a Ralph Lauren photoshoot in the lavender fields, or Jennifer Lopez shutting down a LoveShackFancy to shop. In other words, I imagine all-out opulence through a fisherman aesthetic filter. Flip-flops and sweatpants aren't anywhere on my radar; they're far too casual for what I expect from A-listers' favorite East Coast enclave. And yet, that's exactly what The Row's co-founder chose to wear for her first sighting of the summer.

Mary Kate Olsen walks in the Hamptons wearing sweatpants a tshirt and flip flops — Mary-Kate Olsen arrived in the Hamptons on July 1 in a decidedly anti-Hamptons outfit.

Olsen took her afternoon stroll in an uncharacteristically high-low outfit—one that reformatted her label's flip-flops and jeans outfit formula into an even more relaxed font. She swapped The Row's low-rise baggy jeans for Free City sweatpants (currently retailing for $168 at Anthropologie) and slipped on a vintage T-shirt advertising another celebrity hotspot (LA). Her sandals came directly from her label's own catalog: from the looks of it, they're The Row's $890 City flip-flops. A vintage baseball cap and sunglasses shaded her face.

Anthropologie

Freecity Sweatpants

The Row

City Flip Flop in Leather

Mary-Kate Olsen's angle on the sidewalk made it difficult to discern which of The Row's It-bags were perched on her shoulder. From the looks of it, she toted her coastal essentials in a creamy rendition of the Park Tote bag. The same hand also clutched a brown paper bag—no doubt filled with a bagel or sandwich from one of the neighborhood's cult-beloved bakeries.

Maybe Mary Kate-Olsen's flip-flops and sweatpants are a hard-left turn away from the sardine prints and cable-knit sweaters otherwise associated with a beachside retreat. But they're also an OOO variation of the laid-back luxury aesthetic she's championed since opening her cult-beloved label in 2006. Mary-Kate Olsen loves an oversize layer and a neutral-on-neutral outfit even more. Technically, navy sweatpants and black flip-flops fit the bill.

Shop Mary-Kate Olsen-Inspired Flip Flops and Sweatpants

Havaianas

Slim Flip Flop

Caslon

Straight Leg Sweatpants

TKEES

Liners Flip Flop

Sweaty Betty

Explorer Pants

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.