5 Runway-Inspired Ways To Wear A Dress And Flip-Flops

Reported by Vogue.

The flip-flop's glow-up is complete. What was once the unofficial footwear of airport security lines and post-beach boardwalks has been fully absorbed into the fashion lexicon — and not in a ironic, street-style-joke kind of way. This is sincere. Designers are sending flip-flops down runways alongside fluid evening gowns and sharp tailoring, and the style set is buying in.

A lot of the credit goes to The Row. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's Ginza sandal — with its sculptural, chunky sole — became the minimalist co-sign the humble thong sandal needed to cross over. From there, even classic rubber styles from Havaianas started appearing in wardrobes well outside their Brazilian-beach origins. According to Vogue, the appeal is philosophical as much as aesthetic: it's a shoe for people who want to "live life unconfined by oppressive straps and buckles and laces" — which, honestly, is a mood.

Five Ways to Actually Wear It

The dress-and-flip-flop equation works because of tension. A red dress grounded by black flip-flops lets the contrast do the heavy lifting — drama up top, ease below. A long black dress with optic-white thong sandals is the minimalist route that never fails. For something with more texture, a crochet maxi and embellished sandals hit that effortless bohemian note without veering into festival-costume territory. If you're working with a sheer or slightly diaphanous dress, lean into it: a multicolored PVC jelly flip-flop keeps it playful and beach-ready. And for an asymmetric hemline — which reads formal enough to overthink — a simple flat sandal and a statement earring is all the styling you need to make it daytime-appropriate.

What ties all of it together is intentionality. Flip-flops no longer read as an afterthought or a lazy concession to comfort. Whether they're stacked with a platform, finished with a subtle kitten heel, or kept flat and stripped-back, they function as a deliberate choice — the kind that signals you know exactly what you're doing, even when you're dressed like you couldn't care less.

The real takeaway: when a shoe built for sand and spontaneity starts closing out runway looks, it's not a trend — it's a value shift, and your wardrobe should reflect it.

Read the original at Vogue.