Marie Claire maps eight timeless summer shoe trends, from thong sandals to kitten wedges

The smartest shoe story of summer 2026 is not about shock value, it is about editing. Marie Claire says designers have “zeroed in on eight distinct silhouettes,” and that restraint makes the forecast feel tailor-made for coastal-grandmother dressing, where a linen button-down and white trousers need shoes that can move from city pavement to a beach path without losing their polish. The mood has roots in Lex Nicoleta’s TikTok coinage, Nancy Meyers movie fantasy, and the Diane Keaton reference point, but it spread so far that one article counted “100 million plus TikTok viewers,” proof that a soft, relaxed look can still have real cultural gravity.

High-vamp flats

This is the cleanest keeper in the bunch. High-vamp flats, which rose across Kallmeyer, Ganni, and Rag & Bone, cover more of the foot and bring a more tailored line than a skimpy ballet flat, so they read almost like a summer loafer without the stiffness. Paired with linen trousers, crisp cotton shirting, or cropped denim, they sharpen the silhouette instead of fighting it.

’90s thong sandals

The return of the thong sandal feels right for a wardrobe built on ease. Marie Claire had already flagged the style for Spring and Summer 2026, with runway examples at Fforme, Bottega Veneta, and Sacai, and the look has celebrity traction too, thanks to Hailey Bieber and Zoë Kravitz. Kept slim and refined, a thong sandal modernizes floaty dresses, Bermuda shorts, and maxi skirts without dragging the outfit into nostalgia overload.

Cherry-red flats

Color is the quickest way to keep a neutral summer wardrobe from slipping into sameness, and cherry-red flats are the season’s most wearable jolt. They fit the dopamine-dressing mood Christina Ciglar described, but they are still grounded enough to work with white linen jeans, tan tailoring, or a button-down and shorts. This is a keeper because the shape stays simple even when the color does the talking.

Thick flip-flops

Thick flip-flops are the most borderline silhouette in the lineup. In theory, they slot neatly into the coastal-grandmother preference for comfort, but the chunkier versions lean more fashion-week than everyday, especially when the sole gets too padded or exaggerated. Unless retailers push a sleeker, more polished version, these are likely to stay a seasonal experiment rather than a long-term wardrobe staple.

Open mules

Open mules have the kind of easy elegance that photographs beautifully and walks less beautifully. The open back gives them a breezy, almost undone feel, which works with relaxed tailoring and straight-leg linen, but it also makes them more vulnerable to sounding like a styling idea than a real-life essential. They are the sort of shoe that looks sharp in a showroom or on a sidewalk in Paris, then asks for too much commitment once the day gets hot and busy.

Square-toe styles

Square-toe shoes bring a more architectural note to the season, which is exactly why they feel more runway-coded than coastal-grandmother. The blunt front can be chic with a column dress or a clean cropped trouser, but it also stamps the outfit with a stronger point of view, one that can date quickly if the rest of the shoe is too trendy. This is the kind of shape that needs retailer support and smart merchandising to stay in rotation beyond the season.

Kitten wedges

Kitten wedges sit in the middle ground between comfort and lift, which makes them tempting, but also vulnerable to fashion fatigue. They answer the current appetite for nostalgia and smarter dressing that stylist Leon Gray has talked about, while still offering a modest heel that feels easier than a pump. The problem is that the wedge can tip from refined to fussy fast, so unless it is pared back in raffia, leather, or another quiet material, it remains more of a fashion-week idea than a forever shoe.

Black strappy sandals

If there is one silhouette that fully belongs in a coastal-grandmother closet, it is the minimal black strappy sandal. Marie Claire calls it an enduring summer staple, and the reason is obvious: it works with capris, midi dresses, and eveningwear with the same unfussy confidence. This is the anchor piece in the forecast, the shoe that proves summer polish does not have to announce itself to feel finished.