This is an excerpt of the newsletter Show Notes, in which Samuel Hine reports from the front row of the fashion world. Sign up here to get it free.
The flip-flop wave that GQ has been tracking for months has finally broken on the shores of Paris Fashion Week. On the first night alone, I attended three runway shows and counted 43 pairs of haute Havaianas on the catwalk. And while New Yorkers might still give you a sidelong glance for letting your dogs breathe on the subway, the street style photographers outside Auralee gleefully trained their lenses on many a toe in the crowd.
Of the brands betting the house on thonged sandals for spring 2026, the increasingly popular Japanese menswear brand Auralee is the most bullish, putting two dozen leather flip-flops in Tuesday night’s mellow ode to transitional dressing. The timing is opportune, considering The Row’s polarizing luxe flip-flops recently hit the red carpet (courtesy of Jonathan Bailey), which might indicate the menswear taboo against wearing beach shoes in polite company is falling. But are flip-flops really going big, or are we being tricked by an advanced styling move and street style hogs?
I asked Mytheresa’s men’s buying director Sophie Jordan to explain. Sophie knows what men actually buy, and can predict with remarkable clarity what they’ll buy next. She also happens to wear menswear better than the rest of us.
Sophie Jordan: Flip-flops as a strong fashion choice kick started with The Row—they really do have the ability to take something so simple but make you think about it in a totally new way, creating desirability and urgency.
How are you thinking about it as a buyer—are you going in on flip-flops at Mytheresa?
Yes, I’ll be backing flip-flops for SS26. It’s rare in menswear to see such a universal shape have this kind of refresh and resurgence, and most men won’t already own a luxe fashion vibe flip-flop that’s city or tailoring appropriate (as Auralee showed), so it’s an incremental opportunity in my shoe budgets.
So are they selling?
My current offer of flip-flops on site is small, as this really is a new category that’s building. But the ones I do have currently are performing, such as The Row and Brunello Cucinelli, which shows it’s an item that really speaks to a wide aesthetic audience who are all looking for the same functionality.
Did Auralee just show the “It” flip-flop?
Auralee definitely just showed the “It” flip-flop of the season, the color block styles with green or blue contrast soles will be bestsellers for sure.
Prada also showed flip-flops which got my attention at the re-see, leather thong detail but on a rubber sole. I also think these will also be a strong seller for next season, but they definitely had a more vacation feel in bright colors.
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