Gwyneth Paltrow’s raffia Loewe mules make basics look polished

Gwyneth Paltrow has found the season’s easiest polish move, and it starts at the feet. She swapped flip-flops for Loewe’s raffia-effect Pebble mules, then wore them with an oversize cardigan and straight-leg jeans to a friend’s baby shower, the kind of outfit that looks effortless because every part is disciplined.

The new old-money formula

This is what old-money summer dressing looks like when it is stripped of cliché: quiet, not precious. The cheapest way to look rich is not a monogram, it is restraint, and Paltrow’s outfit gets that exactly right. A clean cardigan, a straight leg, and a low, refined heel do more for an outfit than any loud logo ever could.

The appeal is not that the look is fussy. It is that it is edited. Straight-leg jeans give structure, the cardigan softens the silhouette, and the mule adds just enough lift to sharpen the whole thing without tipping it into occasion dressing.

Why the mule is back

There is a reason this shoe feels so right now. Marie Claire says flat flip-flops are showing up less often this season, with celebrity pressure from names like Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber helping push the market toward heeled versions. That shift makes sense: after years of treating flat sandals as the default, the eye is hungry for a shoe with a little more shape.

The mule answers that need beautifully because it keeps the ease of a slip-on but looks much more considered. The Metropolitan Museum of Art traces the mule’s glamour back to the 1950s, when it became associated with "sex-kitten glamour," and notes that it remains a surviving modern form of the boudoir slipper. In other words, this is not a novelty silhouette. It is a classic that returns every time fashion starts craving polish with less effort.

What makes Loewe’s pair work

Marie Claire identifies Paltrow’s shoes as Loewe’s Pebble raffia-effect mules, and the details are exactly what gives them their appeal. They have gold-tone hardware, a woven raffia-like strap, square toes, and a comfortable 45mm kitten heel. At $1,150, they are undeniably luxury, but they are also doing a lot of visual work: the woven texture keeps them summer-friendly, while the low heel makes them feel wearable rather than precious.

That heel height matters. A 45mm heel is enough to lengthen the leg and clean up denim, but it stays low enough to preserve the ease that makes a mule such a smart substitute for a flip-flop. The square toe also helps modernize the shape, so the shoe reads polished rather than nostalgic.

Loewe’s own women’s footwear range leans into natural materials such as raffia, leather, and suede, and the brand positions mules, sandals, slides, and clogs within its summer assortment. That material palette is a big part of why the shoe feels expensive in a subtle way. Raffia and woven textures suggest vacation, but the refined construction keeps the look city-ready.

The old-money wardrobe formula to copy

If you want the effect without copying the exact outfit, build around the same logic. Start with pieces that already feel calm, then let the shoe do the elevating. The goal is not to dress up every item, but to make the whole look feel inherited.

Look for:

• Straight-leg denim with a clean hem, not distressed edges
• Cardigans with a neat front and a polished knit surface
• Mules with a low heel, ideally around the kitten-heel range
• Raffia or woven uppers that feel airy but structured
• Square or softly squared toes for a sharper finish
• Minimal hardware in gold or another warm metal tone

The best raffia mules do not scream resort. They hold their shape, sit cleanly on the foot, and have enough structure that they can sit beside denim, poplin, or a tailored trouser without looking out of place. If the shoe looks floppy, overly bohemian, or too flat, it will lose the very polish that makes this trend worth wearing.

Why the silhouette feels modern, not costume-y

Loewe matters here because it has the kind of fashion authority that makes a classic shape feel current. The house was founded in Spain in 1846, and NET-A-PORTER says it has been under the creative direction of Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez since 2025. That combination, historic pedigree and fresh design leadership, is exactly what keeps the mule from feeling like a costume piece.

The result is a shoe that bridges eras. The shape nods to mid-century glamour, the materials feel warm-weather practical, and the styling is pure now. Paltrow’s look works because it understands that the most convincing luxury is rarely loud. It is a cardigan that fits just so, jeans that fall cleanly, and a shoe with enough shape to make the whole outfit look intentional.

The takeaway

If flip-flops are about ease, refined mules are about ease with standards. That is why Paltrow’s Loewe pair lands so well: it solves a real wardrobe question for summer, giving you something as simple to wear as a slide but far more polished at a glance. In a season full of logo fatigue and overstated styling, that kind of quiet upgrade is the one that reads richest.