There’s no better time to embrace your more festive, playful side than during the summer months. And we’re not alone in feeling that way. Alongside embellished handbags, decorative footwear emerged as one of the season’s biggest trends on the spring/summer 2026 runways, from floral-appliqué styles at Dior and Proenza Schouler that mirrored the season’s most beautiful blooms to disco ball-worthy sequins at Dries Van Noten, Prada, and Chloé.
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But why save sparkle for sundown? This summer, embellished flat sandals are entering our daytime wardrobe rotation, too. Take Vogue Shopping’s Resort Wear shoot, for example: models slipped into sequined, beaded, and even netted styles with everything from vibrant vacation dresses to easy, breezy poplin skirts fit for chic city dressing. (And while their more-is-more attitude certainly befits the season’s buoyant energy, that doesn’t we’re stowing away our ’90s-inspired minimalist pairs, either—summer dressing, like much in life, is all about balance.)
Our favorites—from Staud, Tory Burch, Ancient Greek Sandals, and more—prove that a decorative flat sandal works overtime during the summer to dress up casual looks, and offset more polished ones with surprise ease. Le Monde Béryl’s powder-blue T-strap style provides a subtle pop of color next to an elegant white dress, while Jimmy Choo’s bead-embellished sandals inject a welcome dose of texture into a lightweight linen look. And with wedding and event season in full swing, consider them your dance-floor heroes—peeking out beneath sweeping maxis or accenting sleek matching sets.
Whether you’re making them the centerpiece of your vacation lineup or pairing them with your everyday staples, embellished sandals—complete with sparkle, studs, or shells—are the season’s chicest, and most whimsical finishing touch.
