Thank the Street Style Gods for Spring's Best Footwear

last updated 6 April 2017

Let’s take a moment to appreciate what street style has done for us. Has it given us a glimpse into what it’s like to walk among fashion’s in-crowd? Of course. Has it celebrated seriously stylish unknowns alongside professionally dressed celebrities, reminding us that fashion is for all? Sure. But we’re forgetting the one thing we should all be most grateful for: the comfortable, on-trend footwear we currently enjoy (and are starting to take for granted, if we’re being honest).

It hasn’t always been like this: Getting dressed up once meant enduring wobbly stilettos you couldn’t wait to kick off during your cab ride home. But as Sex and the City came to an end and street style started filling the void, we began celebrating the confident stride of comfortable footwear. Flats were elevated to new heights (pun intended), designers began to focus on sidewalk-friendly shoes, and spring became synonymous with chic slip-ons.

The latest iterations come in satin with lots of embellishments (pearls, jewels, tassels, and otherwise). Pool slides have been upgraded to pool party slides. Colors are trending toward bright hues as well as pure white, and everything feels like fun. Whatever the heel height, comfort is still key, so go ahead: Slide on into spring. Your feet will thank you.

Ready to snap up some fresh slides? Take advantage of another glorious season of practical, comfortable, stylish footwear with our five favorite pairs from NET-A-PORTER.

Prada Bow-Embellished Satin Slides

Simply the epitome of low-key cool.

Gianvito Rossi Satin Mules

Consider heeled slides with crossover straps a footwear staple.

Miu Miu Embellished Satin Slides

Juxtapose luxe detailing with raw-edge denim for a front row–ready look.

Marc Jacobs Cooper Striped Textured Lamé Slides

Pool slides are back, and they’re party-ready.

Sanayi 313 Carolsello Tasseled Canvas Slippers

If you thrash your sneakers, you’ll wonder what you ever did without a pair of all-white slides.

Which slides will you be trying this season? Tell us in the comments below!

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Natalie leads the style direction for the all content we create in partnership with our friends at various brands plus the legendary team of editors who work on those shoots and stories. She loves collaborating and storytelling, so it's a really fun role for her. It's also the first full-time job she's ever had⁠! She started out in her career as a very mediocre model who agreed to her first styling job to impress a photographer she had a crush on, which led her down a happy path of contributing to Vogue Australia and working as a stylist, fashion writer, and creative director for all sorts of brands and titles. She has a bachelor of communications, but most of her career opportunities came up thanks to some fleeting and accidental street style moments. She's been at Who What Wear for three and a half years and still loves to work as a freelance consultant with brands and designers to shoot their campaigns in NYC. She's originally from New Zealand, and Bondi Beach is her second home, but like just about every other 20-something, she fell in love with New York at some point. She lives in Williamsburg with her fiancé and their weird little dog, Ruby. If you ever need reccies for feel-good fashion, legit coffee spots, politics podcasts, or non-intimidating yoga studios, she's very much your girl.