If there is one thing I’ve learned in my ten-plus years working in fashion, it’s that people have strong opinions about shoes. Turns out folks are pretty passionate about the things they put on their feet. But it’s more than just comfort and support people care about. They also have deep, visceral reactions to new shoe trends—both love and hate—whether those trends are fairly benign (like classic cowboy boots) or outré (like see-through mesh flats). But in my experience, there is no footwear that divides more than this one particular option that also happens to be on the rise again for summer 2025. The footwear in question? The flip-flop.
Summer’s Most Controversial Shoe Trend Has the PureWow Team Majorly Divided
Good buy or goodbye?
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Published Jun 11, 2025
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Dasha Burobina for PureWow
Abby Hepworth for PureWow
Yes, the uber-minimalist sandal is slowly but surely becoming not just a pedicure staple, but a summer style must-have. But it’s not just basic flip-flops that are rising in popularity—it’s specifically high-end, designer versions that seem to be popping up left and right. It started, as trends so often do, with The Row. The supremely chic (but pricey) brand run by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen released a pair of $690 flip-flops earlier this year and in spite of the price tag, they sold out very quickly.
Other designer brands followed suit, including Chloé, Miu Miu and Ferragamo. And while affordable retailers like Old Navy never stopped selling its $6 rubber sandals, other fast fashion retailers (Zara, Mango, Free People) have grabbed onto the trend of luxury flip-flips with $60 pairs made of leather or faux leather. But even if you take price out of the conversation, it seems flip-flops are inevitably a hot topic. Even the PureWow editorial team is completely divided over whether this trend is terribly tacky or incredibly chic.
Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images
“Hate,” SEO Editor Marrisa Wu plainly states. “Dig me in a hole and do not take me out.” VP of Design + Branded Content Angela Pares, however, is definitely in favor of investing in a chic, minimalist flip-flop. As she told me, “Oh, I am all in!” She was inspired a few years ago by the supremely chic Moosgaard twins (models Amalie and Cecilie) who make the basic footwear look highly elevated. “I bought this A. Emery pair last summer and wore them so much that I purchased them again this year in black,” she notes.
Assistant Editor of Branded Content Madeline Merinuk is also in the pro camp. “I love wearing flip-flops and will not stand for flip-flop slander,” she raves. “My Flojos are so comfortable and they just really fit my style (coastal chic, I’d say). They’re so easy and—don’t come at me—if you wear the right pair it can be super cute!” That said, she’s less emphatic about the shoe when it comes to wearing them in New York City. “I would never wear regular flip-flops in the city unless they had a bit of a heel or platform. Made that mistake a few times and never will again!” Multiple other editors agree, that while flip-flops make a lot of sense on the beach, the fact that they put your bare feet so close to the grime of a city sidewalk is undoubtedly gross.
Lastly, for VP of Editorial Content Candace Davison, the appeal is intimately tied to the nostalgia of a childhood spent on the beach. “Growing up near the beach in Florida, flip-flops were a way of life,” says Davison. “It wasn't a style statement; it was a given necessity. You needed something you could slip on and off fast, especially as you hit the sand. (In fact, not wearing flip-flops when you were near the beach was an instant sign you were a tourist.) I never knew people had strong feelings about them until I moved to New York. But, given the subways and city streets, it soon made sense—your feet get nasty fast wearing them.”
Streetstyleshooters; Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images
It’s really very funny to me that there’s just so much to be said about a shoe as simple as a flip-flop—how three small swaths of leather or rubber could elicit such impassioned responses is pretty ironic. Though, even as a fashion editor used to defending the eccentricities of high fashion, I must admit my feelings on the matter of designer flip-flops are incredibly strong. If you ask me, they’re 100 percent not worth the splurge.
Flip-flops on the whole aren’t great for your feet, as they put extra strain on your joints. “Our feet naturally pronate during the gait cycle,” explains podiatrist Dr. Miguel Cunha. “However, when we wear flip-flops, we pronate for a longer period of time, which then alters the biomechanics and distribution of pressure and weight across the foot.” He goes on to say how this can lead to all kinds of issues like hammertoes, bunions, Achilles tendonitis or even shin splints. But even if you put those health concerns aside, spending your entire budget on a pair of expensive flip-flops, especially pairs that don’t have any added features to help combat that joint strain, just doesn’t make sense when there are so many wonderfully inexpensive versions available.
If you’re just going for aesthetics, why not try this classic $5 pair from Old Navy or Sperry’s $50 design which could easily be mistaken for designer at first glance? Or, if you are willing to invest, both Vionic and Teva sell flip-flops with improved support that don’t sacrifice style. As for me, you may very well spot me in my $20 Havaianas on beach days (but never in the city).
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