
Summer is here in all her steamy glory. This year I found myself unprepared to face the blinding heat, owing to how I railed against buying new clothes for the season, certain that my rotation of t-shirts and denim shorts would see me through until fall, suddenly I found myself in the midst of a Hot Girl Summer with nothing to wear. Two years ago, my strappy Danskos put in the work until they melted off my feet, and I spent last summer wearing sneakers and a cheap pair of flip flops which were not going to cut it this year. The gaping hole in my wardrobe got me thinking further about the necessity of warm weather footwear as well as the overwhelming variety of it. The more I tried to find the perfect Summer shoe that would solve all my outfit problems, the further I slipped down the rabbit hole, spending hours online shopping and evaluating the pros of being a summer loafer girl or a mesh ballet flat girl. I talked to others who were similarly overwhelmed, and I grew more determined to find the answer.
Shoes used to be really simple. Depending on climate, civilizations favored either the boot or the sandal. The Greeks, like many early cultures, rarely wore shoes at all, opting to go barefooted unless one was wealthy or a courtesan, the latter wearing gilded sandals sometimes with nails embedded that spelled out cheeky messages like “follow me” in the wake of their footprints. How camp! Roman sandals were made of animal hide and laced onto the foot securely so Romans could traverse the vast road systems in their sprawling empire. Egyptians, although also known for going barefoot, are considered to have originated the flip flop which I’ll talk more about later. Shoes in ancient history were about protection and status, the same as today.
In case you, like me, are still waffling about what summer shoe should define you, I’ve compiled a list of the most popular shoe trends I’ve noticed from this year, along with a summation of their cultural context. This by no means includes every shoe on the market – it would be winter before I could list them all – but I hope these archetypes help you on your shoe journey and inspires new appreciation for the cultural influences behind today’s trends.
Flip Flops







Originating as early as ancient Egypt, the thonged sandal has been a pillar of warm weather footwear for many cultures. In Greece, the first and second toes were separated, in Rome the third and fourth, and in India a knob held the first two toes. More recognizably, the Japanese Zori shoe closely resembles today’s flip flops. Made from a low profile base with a thong between the first two toes, these shoes were related to the traditional platformed Geta sandal and worn in everyday life either barefoot or with split or “tabi” socks. After WWII, Japan started producing a rubber version which became popular with Westerners, especially surfers, as casual shoes suitable for the beach. Today, the flip flop has been made chic by brands like The Row who first showcased their platform version in 2021 and have since shown sleeker varieties as in their pre-fall ‘23 collection. Chanel showed them with tweed suits in their Spring 24, and Riccardio Tisci’s last show for Burberry in 2023 saw models strutting down the runway with bifurcated toes. Flip flops present a laissez-faire solution to the Summer shoe dilemma. By reimagining the lowbrow beach shoe as a companion for jeans and sundresses, the flip flop girl declares to the world, with her fresh pedicure, that she has places to be and can’t be hindered by a more complicated shoe. If this is you, you probably bring a tattered paperback on the subway, drink spicy margaritas, and wear low cut tanks to showcase stringy tan lines. We all want to be you (and you know it.)
Mesh Flats





Popularized by The Row in their Spring Summer 2020 collection, this breathable addition to the ballet flat resurgence has fashion girls in a chokehold. My closest approximation to its origins trace back to the mesh slippers or “xiuhauxie” worn by Chinese women. A handicraft passed down generationally in Chinese culture, slipper embroidery was used to pass down visual culture through intricate decorative motifs woven onto cloth shoes. The casual mesh rendition was a cheap house shoe worn by Chinese aunties and grandmas in New York City during sweltering Summers, and they held cultural significance in the 90’s when people started wearing them outside. In 2016, Alexander Wang for Balenciaga showed the flats with a sleepwear inspired collection, and label Gypsy Sport showed them with tube socks on their SS 2017 runway. Brands like Botega were surely inspired to create their own take on the breathable shoe when they introduced mesh lace up heels that captured fashion’s attention in 2019. The Row, in The Row’s way, simplified the whole thing, creating a shoe that stood at the crux of the sock shoe phenomenon, see Loewve’s FW 2022 cable-knit pair, and fashion’s fixation on all things mesh. My favorite version is by Sandy Liang, mary jane flats that come in an array of precious colors. As a mesh flats girl, you probably know all the best restaurants in town and which of them turn into dance floors. You love green olives from the jar, ordering a caesar salad from the bar, and people watching. You’re a girl’s girl who always has time for a quick gossip, as long as you’re not late to barre class!
Birkenstocks





According to archaeologists, the oldest pair of shoes was discovered in modern day Oregon and made out of tree bark, so the cork-soled Birkenstock might be the shoe equivalent of the way a chicken is genetically descended from a dinosaur. The design of the footbed sandal proves that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That was the attitude towards this humble shoe for years after Johann Adam Birkenstock pioneered a flexible footbed technology in 1700s Germany. These were widely adopted by granola moms and those in need of orthopedic support, not the most glamorous crowd, until in 2013 Phoebe Philo shocked the world by showing double strap sandals in her Spring collection for Celine. The fur lined “furkenstocks” captivated audiences, catapulting the ugly shoe into the limelight. The fashionable woman suddenly found it chic to be slightly underdressed, there was a sensuality in the recontextualization of the casual “kicking around the house” shoe, and they dosed the wearer with nostalgia and practicality in equal measure. This fascination continues to hold with Birkenstock reissuing their famous Arizona sandals in a delightful variety of colors, finishes, and buckles. Labels including Dior, Rick Owens, and Manolo Blahnik and Jil Sander have collaborated with Birkenstock, cementing the humble footbed sandal’s place in the annals of fashion history. If you wear Birkenstocks, you know the importance of finding balance in life and in outfits. In between planning your next biking trip or picking up facebook marketplace finds, you are likely to be found sunbathing at the park or making your own matcha lattes (with oat milk, of course). The Birkenstock girl makes life look easy, and isn’t it with shoes that comfortable?
Boat Shoes




I would be remiss if I didn’t include boat shoes on this list since despite not falling into the sandal category they are strongly situated as a Summer shoe. These prep-classics were invented by Paul A. Sperry to replicate the way his dog’s tread caught even on slick surfaces. They became popular around the world as well as a symbol of status in America for those who could afford the world of boating. The design has remained much the same since their invention, so they were easily recognizable symbols of class and New England prep in in Miu Miu’s Spring 2024 show- a collection that riffed on Ivy league dress codes and water sports gear in a delightfully undone and half-dressed way, a woman in perpetual motion. These shoes are part of fashion’s preoccupation with dressing like “old money,” a reaction to the logomania of the 2010s that has major nostalgia appeal. I had a pink pair of Sperrys that, to me, signaled assimilation with my suburban classmates and would be my ticket to acceptance (unfortunately they are shoes, not miracles.) If I hadn’t already gone on a spending spree while writing this article – for research – I would get myself the platformed Timberland pair, but my shoe situation has gotten out of hand (or, more precisely, out of foot). What I’ll say about the boat shoe girl is this: she’s not afraid to leave the house with wet hair, always orders fries for the table, and never turns down a chance to talk about her favorite sports team. You listen to Vampire Weekend ironically, and you’re not afraid to get competitive, both in work and your rowing class. If this sounds like you, I’m free next weekend, let’s grab oysters.
Jellies




Lastly, I present the jelly shoe. In the 1940s, a little thing called PVC plastic was invented, but it wasn’t until the 80s when French company Grendene produced plastic shoes that found an audience with young girls and women alike. They soon fell out of favor once it was realized plastic made feet sweat and in turn blister, but experienced a revival in the 90’s when new styles were introduced, falling in line with the kitschiness of the era. They were popular again in the 2010s with American apparel’s fisherman version that everyone just had to have to go with their skater skirts and plunging bodysuits, myself included. I had a glittered pair that I wore with frilly ankle socks until the plastic straps snapped. The jelly shoe exists in perpetual renaissance, the latest luxury iteration seen in The Row’s 2023 pre-Fall show. Available in 4 shades, the jelly net shoe offers an alternative to their mesh flat with the power of added nostalgia, and Fortunately, the market is full of plastic shoes with more approachable price tags. The jelly shoe girl knows that life is too sweet to skip dessert – vanilla soft serve with sprinkles. You love Lana Del Rey, smells like Marc Jacobs’s Daisy, and regularly add to your wall of polaroid pictures. Sure, the blisters are annoying, but you just color coordinates with your bandaids, and your sunkissed demeanor is the antidote to the gray-washed office siren trend we, at least I, could use a break from anyway.