Forget Last Year's Flip-Flops—These Pairs Are Even Chicer for 2026

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It feels like these days there are no longer flip flop skeptics, just flip flop converts. The easy beach shoe has long been associated with vacation and tourists. Then, fashion week guests started wearing it to runway shows. Havianas, long a staple in Brazil, suddenly became a fixture at Copenhagen Fashion Week functions, against all odds.

It wasn't long before the look started to become popular in major fashion capitals like New York and Paris. And while at first the shoe raised eyebrows and plenty of people weren't sold on its capability to work in their not-on-PTO wardrobe, the appeal started to become obvious. Discomfort was out. Shoes that could really take you places, were in.

Olivia Jade flip flops

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Above all, flip flops are comfortable and casual, which means wearing them gives you an air of nonchalance. They work so well with capital-F fashion outfits because they look out of place. It's the wrong shoe theory at work! Flip flops out of context makes an outfit more interesting. The fact that you can just slide into them makes them appear as an afterthought—but in the best way.

Flip Flop Style

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Flip Flop Style

(Image credit: Getty Images)

As we gear up for the second spring and summer season where flip flops aren't just accepted but highly encouraged outside of the beach, it's worth noting that a couple of things have changed. There's more fashionable flip flops to shop then ever before. Of course everyone needs a classic pair of the OG Havianas but a freaky pair is also fun to have.

Flip Flop Style

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Flip Flop Style

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Flip Flop Style

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Flip flops right now aren't just flat and plain. Some are platformed to give the height of the heel without the discomfort. Others' have adornments on the strap that jingle with each step you take. There are flip flop kitten heels and flip flop boots if you want a different silhouette that still frees your toes. We're likely to see a bit of a ballet-flat-flip-flop-hybrid emerge in the coming months after being spotted on runways like Operasport in Copenhagen and Jacquemus in Paris. These days a flip flop can be whatever you want it to be. The possibilities feel endless and they all look good.

Flip Flops street style

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Below, all of the pairs of flip flops that we guarantee will fully convert you to a flip flop lover, no matter where you stand on the shoe.

Shop the chicest flip flops for 2026, below.

Tara Gonzalez
Tara Gonzalez
Senior Fashion & Social Editor

Tara Gonzalez is a senior fashion and social editor at WhoWhatWear. where she is interested in exploring the intersection of fashion and culture and why we are drawn to wearing the things we wear and what that says about the world we live in. Previously she worked as a senior fashion editor at Harper's Bazaar. When she isn't writing trend deep dives for WWW, she's working on her newsletter on Substack, Cult Classic, which explores the very best fashion in film and television. She has a degree in creative writing from The University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Brooklyn with her boyfriend and pug Bjork, the later of which has a very extensive collection of dog-sized Sandy Liang sweaters.