When did flip-flops become fashionable? The question was on my mind on a recent flight, as I sat behind three young women who boarded the plane carrying brand-new flip-flops still bound together by a plastic loop.
They tucked them into the rear-seat pockets as essential items.
In Copenhagen, Denmark, for fashion week this past week, I saw countless others wearing flip-flops in scenarios that would have been considered taboo not too long ago.
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The footwear – the stalwarts of bodega runs and beach vacations – appeared on the feet of people dressed in refined, tailored garments as well as those in breezy skirts and jeans.
These shoes went to runway shows and then out to dinner. They traversed gravel, cobblestone and (perhaps truer to their original purpose) sand.
Most surprising, though, was just how many different iterations of flip-flops I saw.
There were leather flip-flops, platform flip-flops, flip-flops with kitten heels, flip-flops with designer labels embossed on the top.
Many have balked at The Row’s US$690 (approximately RM2,824) flip-flop, but on the streets of Copenhagen, the existence of more high-end versions of the shoe was a given.
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I asked one woman if she worried that the appearance of dirty feet would spoil her otherwise flawless outfit. And what if it rained?
She didn’t miss a beat.
“They’re the best when it rains,” she said. – ©2026 The New York Times Company/Simbarashe Cha
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
