Gwyneth Paltrow's coastal grandmother look makes heeled mules summer's chic flip-flop alternative

The shoe swap that makes the whole look sharper

Gwyneth Paltrow has found the easiest way to make summer dressing feel intentional: keep the soft layers, lose the flip-flops, and let a heeled mule do the talking. The formula is straightforward and that is exactly why it works, with straight-leg jeans, an oversize cardigan, and a raffia mule giving the kind of ease that still looks considered.

What makes the outfit land is the balance. The cardigan softens the denim, the straight leg keeps the shape clean, and the mule adds just enough height to pull the look out of errands-only territory. It is the rare warm-weather outfit that can move from a casual office to dinner out to a travel day without feeling overdressed or fussy.

Why this reads coastal grandmother, not costume

Coastal grandmother style has always been about restraint, not literal seaside dressing. TODAY traced the term back to TikTok user @lexnicoleta in April 2022, who used it to describe a clean wardrobe, an open kitchen, and a gentle life at the beach, with Nancy Meyers films like *Something's Gotta Give* and *It's Complicated* helping define the mood. Diane Keaton’s character in *Something’s Gotta Give* sits at the center of that fantasy: relaxed, polished, and never trying too hard.

That is the difference between coastal grandmother and retro. The aesthetic is built on easy, neutral basics, not novelty. TODAY has described its key pieces as white turtlenecks, straw beach hats, soft denim jeans, oversized cardigans, beige sweaters, button-downs, and other clean, interchangeable staples. In other words, it is less about beach souvenirs and more about wardrobe discipline.

The Paltrow formula, item by item

Paltrow’s look works because each piece has a job. The straight-leg jeans bring structure without stiffness, the oversize cardigan adds that relaxed, borrowed-from-the-coast feeling, and the raffia mule keeps the outfit from slipping into standard sneaker territory. Marie Claire identified the shoe as a raffia mule from Jonathan Anderson’s Paula’s Ibiza capsule collection for Loewe, specifically the Spring 2025 Pebble Soft Slide.

The details matter here. The shoe sits on a two-inch heel and is priced at $1,150, which puts it firmly in luxury territory, but the material choice is what saves it from feeling precious. Raffia gives the mule texture and summer ease, while the chocolate-brown upper makes it read richer and more grounded than a bright resort shoe would.

Where the look actually works in real life

This is the kind of outfit that makes sense when you want to look pulled together without looking like you tried for an hour. A casual office is the obvious fit: the jeans are relaxed, the cardigan keeps things soft, and the heel makes the whole thing feel sharper than a sandal. For dinner out, the same formula gains polish simply because the mule lifts the hemline and makes the silhouette feel cleaner.

It also works on travel days, when comfort matters but so does arriving looking like you had a plan. The straight-leg jean is easy to sit in, the cardigan handles unpredictable air-conditioning, and the mule gives you height without the friction of a stiletto. It is the Manhattan-to-Hamptons kind of dressing readers keep returning to because it solves more than one problem at once.

How to keep the look from feeling overly retro

The fastest way to make coastal grandmother feel current is to keep the palette quiet and the shapes unfussy. Beige, navy, white, soft denim, and chocolate-brown raffia all sit in that lane, and the result is more quiet luxury than theme dressing. The 2025 style guides have pushed the idea even further, describing the aesthetic as neutral, classic, moneyed-but-not-flashy, and basically a capsule wardrobe of light, interchangeable basics.

Skip anything that feels too literal or decorative. A nautical graphic tee, a heavy espadrille, or a cardigan with too much texture can tip the look into costume territory fast. What keeps Paltrow’s version modern is its simplicity: straight lines, soft volume, and one standout shoe with shape.

The celebrity momentum behind the shoe

Paltrow is not wearing this in a vacuum. Marie Claire notes that the broader move away from flat flip-flops toward heeled sandals and mules has been building through 2026, with Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Zoë Kravitz, Elle Fanning, Dakota Johnson, and Charlize Theron all helping keep similar silhouettes in circulation. That matters because celebrity dressing often works less like trend forecasting and more like a visual shorthand: one polished shape repeats enough times and suddenly it becomes the new default.

The appeal is obvious. Flip-flops signal haste; a kitten-heel mule signals intention. Even with all the ease of coastal grandmother styling, the heel says the outfit is for more than the beach path.

Why the aesthetic still has range

Part of the staying power comes from how flexible the wardrobe is. Martha Stewart made the point herself in May 2022, saying she did not really identify as a coastal grandmother because she works every day and is “not retired yet,” even as she acknowledged the label. That is exactly why the style has lasted: it is not about age, retirement, or one specific kind of life. It is about looking composed in real life, whether you are heading to a meeting, a dinner reservation, or a weekend away.

Jane Fonda and Jimmy Fallon turned the trend into parody on *The Tonight Show* in August 2022, which only proved how recognizable the code had become. By the time a style is funny enough to mock and practical enough to wear, it has crossed into the culture. Gwyneth Paltrow’s version makes the case plainly: the smartest summer wardrobe move may not be a new dress at all, but a better shoe.