A ’90s-inspired heeled flip-flop has become one of this summer’s most prominent shoes, a stalwart shape for both fashion minimalists and maximalists: Hailey Bieber, Kylie Jenner, et al. Brands like Le Monde Beryl, Paloma Wool, and Toteme have staked their claim on the sleek silhouette. Dries Van Noten and Tory Burch have also been champions of the covered toe with sculptural, cut-out, and pierced sandals and heels.
But freaky (or just freakier) footwear has dug its heels into mainstream fashion. Margiela tabi flats and other cleft-hooved shoes like the Nike Air Rifts (thanks to a collab with Skims) will barely get you a double-take on the subway these days. And even when cycling around Manhattan on a Citi Bike, Jenner has stayed true to her OG Margiela tabi ballerinas. (She’s not immune to the tabi-wearing trope of holding a wine glass or cigarette in the split toe, either.) Zendaya, now off the relentless red carpet circuits for The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is back in her more breezy off-duty wear, avec tabi ballets.
Shoes have been getting even more skimpy, too, from Vibram’s technical five-finger shoes to the extra-minimalist hiking sandal from the running brand Literary Sport and Xero Shoes that mimics going barefoot, exposed toes on the Celine men’s spring 2027 runway, and Chanel’s Herculean half-shoes.
Today, Wardrobe NYC drops its collaboration with H&M, which features a pair of toe-exposing knee-high boots among its structural, directional approaches to classic denim, shirting, and tailoring. Veterans and contenders new are vying to be the oddball it-shoe du jour, whatever the wearer’s personal aesthetic.
It’s not the first time Havaianas has experimented with its signature offering, either, having worked with Jean Paul Gaultier and Saint Laurent on patterned and printed versions of its original flip-flop shape. The brand collaborated with Spanish label Gimaguas on its most dramatic innovation last year: a pair of eyelet-studded leg warmer flip-flop boots, which were named Lyst’s hottest product of 2025.
I’m someone whose toes rest in a natural split shape thanks to years in tabis and Nike Rifts; all winter long, Margiela tabi boots are out, and in spring, I wear my plum-colored Julie Kegels thong socks with ballet flats. Camper’s mutant, molded rubber Kobarah heels in acidic orange are also a go-to for summer nights. The Havaianas kitten heel flip flops feel like a step toward something more sophisticated, a quieter weirdo in the rotation. You could jazz it up with toe rings on your pinkies, coordinate and clash the color of the shoe with your equally eccentric nail art. But Havaianas has always been about a sense of easy, put-together practicality too—and this shoe conceals your big toe, the digit that’s the first to give away when you really need a pedicure. Nail appointment or not, stay care-free, and keep enjoying summer with your feet as the main character.
