Can a Flip-Flop Be a Fashion Trend?
From simple wardrobe staples to this summer’s biggest buys.
I wear flip-flops 24/7. When I’m showering at the gym, when I’m cooking dinner in my kitchen and when I’m going out in summer. I’ve never stopped wearing flip-flops, so the idea that they’re one of this season’s biggest trends feels a little unusual.
The same goes for the basic tank top. According to the viral Instagram account, databutmakeitfashion, the tank top is approximately 160% more popular this year than last. According to the social listening platform, Sprout, there have been 3,500 mentions of the tank top in the last month alone, and that’s just looking at Reddit, X and YouTube.
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Of course, we saw a slight resurgence in the style as a result of LOEWE‘s anagram version, which launched back in 2021, and paved the way for the likes of Prada and YSL’s own versions. But outside of those designer logo emblazoned iterations, how many of us can honestly say we weren’t wearing them every summer season anyway?
This summer, countless TikTok videos, Instagram posts and brands have declared it the comeback of the flip-flop and the era of the tank top, announcing that these classic basics are now among some of this year’s biggest trends. But are they? And can something truly be a trend if we never stopped wearing it in the first place?
To answer this question, we first need to explore the reasons behind their resurgence. According to Connor Downey, Social Fashion Editor, one of them is due to the timeless nature and increased accessibility of these pieces, something which several fashion trends haven’t quite had in the past (LOEWE tanks, Miu Miu sunnies and Coach bags, for example.)
Havaianas is a brand that’s definitely made a comeback this year, teaming up with everyone from major celebs like Gigi Hadid to smaller Spanish labels like Gimaguas and TwoJeys. “Everyone has a pair of Havaianas in their wardrobe and you don’t have to spend £900 to be a part of the trend. If they’re good enough for Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and the Olsens, then they’re good enough for everyone,” Downey reiterates.
Similar to trending prints like polka dots and the colorful socks and tights era we once entered, it’s the lack of a designer brand name attached that makes these pieces easily adoptable by anyone and everyone. Along with that, though, it comes down to a shift in consumer behaviours and the way we’re shopping.
Not long ago, we explored the impact of TikTok on fashion trends and consumption, and it seemed that there were two core effects of this. On one hand, it led to a saturation of references, cheap clothing sold on TikTok shop and a return to haul culture and bad quality. On the other end of that spectrum, we saw an increased return to minimalism and wardrobe staples and a desire to opt out of trending clothing altogether.
Brand Consultant Karmen Tsang confirms: “Elevated minimalism is really having its moment, with brands such as Jil Sander, Calvin Klein and The Row emphasizing craftsmanship, durability and a less-is-more approach to style due to many socio-economic reasons like sustainability, recessions and the rise of quiet luxury.”
She adds: “People want slow fashion: timeless pieces and silhouettes, neutral palettes and durable fabrics that can last rather than fast-fashion that is wasteful and of bad quality. This shift also reflects a mature and more confident mindset, which I love!”
In and amongst that shift, people began to gravitate towards brands like The Row and Phoebe Philo, who, coincidentally, just announced the opening of her first London store – confirmation that the higher price points and focus on “basics” is working. Elsewhere, it’s the success of brands like SKIMS and Tank Air, which focus on fit, silhouette and fabrication for even the most “basic” of items.
Along with that, it’s seeing celebrity favorites also co-sign these decisions, for example, Jonathan Bailey recently wearing flip-flops to the Jurassic World premiere or Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber forever papped in white tanks.
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As with everything in fashion at the moment, we’d be remiss if we were to talk about a trend without mentioning those two magic words. Yep, you’ve guessed it: recession indicator. Essentially, this term suggests that small shifts, trends or decisions can be signs of a potential recession. We hate to say it, but the shift towards more basic and neutral trends does in fact seem to exemplify this, whether we want it to or not.
Now, to get back to the matter at hand. Can a wardrobe basic like a flip flop or a tank actually be a fashion trend? Downey votes yes.
“I think even though a flip flop or a white tank is foundational and kind of utilitarian, they’re a wardrobe basic that makes them open to reinterpretation. Like material upgrades or small status updates (ie, the LOEWE and Prada tanks with the small logo, or the row with the fabric upper part), I think the flip flop has recently come back into fashion, though, as for a while it was all about slides. You have the quiet luxury, Carolyn BK, subtle flip flop side of it, but then also the c*nty Y2K version with a pedicure that’s coming with the ’10s resurgence,” he explains.
Downey also notes that trends tend to be controversial and with the flip-flop “evoking a reaction with those who are anti-feet,” his evidence does indeed suggest that a trend, they are.
Tsang, however, argues that timelessness takes over here. “I am a ’90s kid and grew up in the ’00s (the era of Laguna Beach and Abercrombie and Fitch), so to me personally, flip flops and tank tops have always been wardrobe staples,” she tells us, admitting that despite this, flip flops are in fact having a resurgence.
“Flip flops are no longer just the laid-back, beach staple we grew up with, but the cooler, sleeker and more grown-up version as a timeless piece to elevate a summer look. I’d say tank tops, on the other hand, have always been a classic go-to for the girlies,” she adds.
Ultimately, the “to be or not to be… a trend” debate does vary based on your own references, your sense of style and what already exists in your wardrobe. Either way, one thing is for certain: basics are so back.
