Kaia Gerber Wears Fashion's Most Hotly-Debated Shoe Trend, in a Ruffled Tube Top and Flip-Flops
Summer mood board, loading...


Even before Kaia Gerber signed on as the dewy face of Mango's new campaign, she embodied the Spanish brand's effortlessly chic ethos. The second-gen model has the clean girl aesthetic down to an art and a beachy, bare-faced glow. So when she did sign on with the label, the resulting looks were basically a mood board for elegant summer style.
Gerber dressed in her casual-cool everyday uniform, but elevated. She wore crisp black trousers and a summertime take on the trench coat, as well as a thick brown leather belt (a Hollister-era roll-over that's recently been adapted by Gen Zers like Gerber and Lila Moss).
Kaia Gerber posed in Mango's Summer 2025 campaign, shot by Stef Mitchell.
It's there, however, that Gerber began to deviate from the usual. She traded in her favorite J.Crew cashmere for a beige, ruffled tube top and swapped out her beloved ballet flats for the single most controversial shoe style in fashion history: flip-flops.
Her $150 sandals, specifically, offer a runway take on fashion's most hotly-debated footwear. They have the telltale thong silhouette, with black leather wrap-around ankle straps and a are topped with a trendy golden orb—another major summer 2025 shoe trend.
Gerber wore black trousers with a flouncy crop top and chic thong sandals.
Flip-Flops were a running theme of the photo shoot, which was captured by photographer Stef Mitchell. Gerber donned them a second time, paired with a ruffled black maxi dress and gold statement earrings for a more boho-chic adaptation.
She later wore orb-topped flip-flops and a ruffled black gown.
This shoe trend may be widely contested, but Gerber makes them look so chic—and there's no debating that.
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Kelsey (she/her) is a freelance fashion editor and writer, specializing in e-commerce and fashion news. With more than ten years of experience in digital media, Kelsey has a knack for turning top-performing content into top-selling content. At Marie Claire, she provides witty celeb style commentary, unpacking the style choices of stars like Zoë Kravitz, Dua Lipa, Selena Gomez, and her fashion superhero, Rihanna. When she’s not tracking the personal style of Hollywood’s elite, Kelsey also covers designer collabs and industry news.
Before taking her talents to Marie Claire, Kelsey was the Senior Fashion Editor at Bustle, where she oversaw the site’s fashion coverage and launched a successful luxury handbag series called Secure The Bag. Prior to Bustle, she came from a six-year stint at Seventeen, during which she managed the team’s fashion and beauty verticals and led e-commerce strategy. In her freelance era, Kelsey contributes to publications like InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and more. She also offers consulting services and content creation, in addition to writing and editing. Follow @klstieg on Instagram for 'fit pics and travel recommendations.