4 Stylish Rain Shoes to Wear Instead of Rubber Boots This Spring

It started on Substack.

Last spring, Joyce Lee, the creative consultant and writer behind the popular fashion newsletter Time Less, wanted waterproof shoes that weren’t bulky rain boots. “I was struggling to find a stylish middle ground—something practical enough for wet weather, but not as heavy or utilitarian as a traditional rubber boot,” Lee, currently the creative director at Parker Thatch and Madewell’s former SVP of design, tells Marie Claire. She began wear-testing and writing about rain shoes that weren’t wellies on her Substack: rubber garden clogs, waterproof leather ballet flats, one surprisingly practical open-weave jelly sandal. Even a few flip-flops made the cut.

Readers flooded her comments section and DMs with requests for more rain shoe recommendations, which the footwear and accessories designer took as confirmation. “There’s a need for shoes like this,” says Lee, writing in from a family vacation in rainy Tokyo, where she didn’t pack a single pair of rain boots. “Rain shoe alternatives offer a balance of function and style: they’re lighter, more breathable, and align seamlessly with a more considered wardrobe.”

Cut to the present, and the anti-rain-boot sentiment has gone from a niche idea Lee explored on her newsletter to a key element of the Spring 2026 trend forecast.

On the runways, designers took a “when it rains, it pours” approach to the trend, sprinkling subversive rain shoes across the fashion month circuit. Simone Rocha collaborated with Crocs on Franken-shoe foam Mary Janes, which paired well with see-through slickers, while Tod’s teamed rubber-ducky yellow rain jackets with leather loafers. At TWP, rubber garden clogs—a quick-growing favorite among New Yorkers who long to touch more grass—received a more considered, fashion-girl treatment, styled with tailored Bermuda shorts and sun-colored windbreakers.

And then there was Loewe. In its Spring 2026 show, there were rubber-bottom approach sneakers—which are having a breakout moment in their own right, by the way—and perhaps the season’s chicest rain shoe: PVC kitten-heeled booties. Aubrey Plaza made a splash in the latter style, called the Emily Aqua Bootie, when she showed up pantsless to the brand's Fall 2026 runway show in early March.

Given its origins, the rain shoe trend is fittingly making a big splash online. In a late-March edition of Becky Malinsky’s 5 Things You Should Buy newsletter, the veteran fashion editor and stylist encouraged her 104,000-plus subscribers to resist rain boots this spring. “We are not trying to destroy the delicate soles of our $1k The Row pumps. Big no,” Malinsky wrote. “But, there are many shoes that can handle more than we give them credit for." She named styles like boat shoes, fisherman sandals, and polyurethane sandals.

You’ll find anti-rain-boot chatter outside the Substack sphere, too. Ask Reddit for “cute rainproof shoes that aren’t boots,” and you’ll go down a rabbit hole of users shouting out rubber Hunter mules and waterproof hiking sneakers from Salomon and Sorel. On TikTok, fashion creators—including Marie Claire contributor Erika Veurink—wax poetic about Ugg’s waterproof edition of its fan-favorite Tasman slippers, calling it the “perfect spring shoe” and what “the coolest girls in pilates wear.”

All of this circles back to Lee’s main point: there is demand for multifunctional rain shoes that aren’t eyesores. “Fashion-minded people are gravitating toward rain boot alternatives because they want pieces that feel intentional, even in less-than-ideal weather,” she says. “As consumers prioritize both functionality and aesthetics, we’ll see more brands expanding into this space—there's a real opportunity for designs that don’t feel like a compromise.”

Ahead, you’ll discover a curated edit of non-boot rain shoes that are as practical as they are elevated (as well as Lee's swear-by waterproofing spray to apply for extra security). The rain shoes below are broken down into easy-to-shop categories, all of which the arbiter of the trend, Lee, has tried, tested, and co-signed.

Shop Spring 2026's Rain Shoe Trend

Rubber Clogs

"For heavier rain days," Lee says, "I’ve been gravitating toward styles that blur the line between indoor-outdoor wear, like rubber clogs or waterproof slip-ons." When the garden clogs trend took off last summer, MC did a deep-dive on a few fashion girl-approved pairs, including Plasticana’s $62 Gardana clog and Birkenstock's workhorse slip-on, the Boston in EVA foam.

Waterproof Flats

"For days where it's on and off or lighter rain, I like to wear sleeker waterproof flats or more elevated jelly styles," says Lee. In particular, she wholeheartedly endorses Repetto's rubber-bottom flats, which she treats with waterproofing spray as an extra precaution and wears on light rain days. "The leather is already pretty smooth, so I don't fear that they will soak water in, and they've held up nicely over the last three years I've had them."

Rubber and Jelly Sandals

Disclaimer: an open-toe sandal is an automatic no-go during a real rainstorm. But when it's lighting misting, and you don't mind a bit of moisture on your toes, try a rubber fisherman sandal or jelly flat. Specifically, Lee likes Jeffrey Campbell's open-weave slipper, calling it her "most-worn shoe last spring and summer—for comfort, durability, and water resistance."

Water-Resistant Sneakers

Last but not least, and the most rugged, weather-ready option on this list: waterproof sneakers. On and Salomon—both strong contenders as the fashion set's go-to performance sneaker brand—make durable options suitable to wear on long hikes. Gore-Tex, a waterproof, breathable fabric membrane, is the key material to look for here.