If the last few seasons have taught us anything, it’s that footwear is no longer relegated to a minimalist afterthought. Where once, selecting the right summer shoe to accent an outfit meant rotating through your reliable pair of leather sandals and a plain white sneaker, the summer of 2025 promises a line-up that’s playful and personality-driven.
On the runways, designers treated shoes like the exclamation point of every look, whether that meant a pop of red, a nostalgic revival that would please even Carrie Bradshaw, or a sheer take on your favourite silhouette. It’s a good reminder that we can look beyond our faithful shoe rotations to add pieces that genuinely spark joy.
ELLE’s Edit Of The Best Summer Shoes For 2025
- Best Heeled Thong: St Agni Thong Detail Heel, $429
- Best Mesh Flat: Senso Clarissa Flat, $249
- Best Bold Red Sneaker: Dries Van Noten Leather-Trimmed Suede Sneaker, $765
- Best Flirty Mule: Saint Laurent 90mm Babylone Mules, $1,840
- Best Cord Sandal: Alias Mae Tuumi Sandal, $219.95
This summer, that looks like barely there mules, roped sandals that evoke a distinctly nautical feel, an flip flops that have officially graduated from poolside to date nights. Ahead, we explain all the top trends we’re seeing for the summer ahead, and share exactly which styles we’re shopping.
Barely There Mule
If the sudden cancellation of And Just Like That had you feeling like you’d said goodbye to your best friends… again, then we’re thrilled to report that one of Carrie Bradshaw’s beloved shoe styles is trending. It’s likely that you have three or four different styles rolling through your mind like a carousel, but of course, we’re talking about the patent, backless mule.
A case in point is Emily Ratajkowski, who, over the American summer, was spotted wearing a patent style three times in one week. Hailey Bieber has also embraced the revival style as she makes her way around New York City to celebrate the launch of Rhode into Sephora. And that’s about as much convincing as we need to embrace the style. We can almost hear the slap of these barely-there mules already.
PARIS TEXAS
Lidia 70 Patent Leather Mules
SAINT LAURENT
90mm Babylone Mules
M.N.G
Lidia Sandals
ZARA
Leather Heeled Mules
Thong Sandals
Whispers that a thong revival was upon us have been gaining traction since The Row debuted their take on the style as part of its Spring 2024 collection. In the year and a bit since, we’ve slowly been coming around to the idea, but it was at Copenhagen Fashion Week in August that we suddenly became unable to ignore the rising trend.
While the humble Havaianas were the most prevalent style amongst the street style set, with bold hues and even chunkier styles all accenting designer outfits, leather heeled thongs in pastel colourways (as shown above), and suede wedges were also spotted on showgoers as they navigated the cobblestoned streets.
ST AGNI
Thong Detail Heel – Rosso
HAVAIANAS
Havaianas Unisex
TONY BIANCO
Swift Espresso Suede
UNISON
Niki Leather Thong
Cord Sandals
Though it was all the way back in 2023 that Miu Miu debuted the Riviere cord sandals in its Spring/Summer 2024 collection, the style is officially taking hold ahead of the Australian summer. Also spotted on the Prada runway, the slightly nautical and definitely sporty style can tie together any summer outfit that veers towards the more casual end of the spectrum.
We’re also seeing the style filter down to local brands like Alias Mae, and for a less chunky sandal, you’ll love Teva’s take on the style. At the risk of repeating ourselves, it was Mary-Kate Olsen co-signing the cord sandal that once again had this utilitarian style zipping to the top of our wish list, with the Teva Infinity. After all, it’s not often the The Row co-founder steps out without a pair from her label on her feet, so when she does (and in an affordable pair, no less), needless to say, we take note.
MIU MIU
Riviere Cord & Leather Sandals
TEVA
Infinity Outdoor Sandal
ALIAS MAE
Tuumi Sandal
ANCIENT GREEK SANDALS
Zoi Braided Cord Sandals
Transparent Shoes
If there’s one footwear trend that has caught the attention of ELLE Australia editors this season, it’s transparent shoes. The mesh ballet flats of years past have been the surprisingly enduring trend of the past few summers, but this year, the transparency has extended behind the Alaia flat to mesh heels at Dries Van Noten’s Spring/Summer 2025 show and floral pointed-toe mules at Bottega Veneta. At the Chloé Spring 2025 show, we also saw the transparent trend collide with the flip flop trend, as pastel jelly thong heels made their way down the runway.
LOEFFLER RANDALL
Landon Mesh Ballet Flat
SENSO
Clarissa Flat
STINE GOYA
Lace-Up Mesh Sneakers
NEW BALANCE
Jelly TPU Sandals
A Pop Of Red
If you’ve found yourself looking into the depths of your carefully curated capsule wardrobe with a sense of deep boredom when getting ready every morning, this shoe trend may just be your saving grace. This summer’s footwear trends are all about the subtle details. As we’ve explained above, strategically placed hardware, dramatic flip flops, and sporty fabrications will be a hit this season. With this in mind, it’s hardly surprising that the fashion set is also gravitating towards a pop of red.
The trend is specifically emerging along with sleek, retro-fit sneakers. Puma’s Speedcats were spotted on the streets at fashion month in January and were instrumental in shaping one of the most enduring sneaker trends of 2025. Now, sneakerinas (that’s a sneaker and ballerina shoe hybrid), boxing high tops and suede and leather trimmed sneakers have all been bathed in a bold and brilliant red. Consider this the easiest way to spice up your neutral outfits this summer.
ADIDAS
Tokyo Women’s
DRIES VAN NOTEN
Leather-Trimmed Suede Sneakers
PUMA
Speedcat Ballet Flats
VIVAIA
Jogger Re-Nylon Sneakerina
While the classic leather sandal will never go out of style, there are a few newer trends emerging for summer 2025. At the top of our wish list are Miu Miu’s roped sandals and the many versions the designer style has inspired, as well as thongs (rubber, heeled, wedge, we’ll take them all), and you may even find us embracing a jelly sandal for beach holidays.
This summer, the fashion crowd is favouring a lower profile and retro-inspired sneaker. Think, ’70s football boots but with vibrant pops of red or suede styles that look slim and sleek worn under jeans.
Flip flops have never been more on-trend than they are now. The humble rubber thong was the most popular style amongst the street style set in Copenhagen this season, with fashion week attendees styling theirs with everything from jeans to tailoring, to billowing maxi skirts. We’re also still loving the heeled thong and wedge thongs for extra comfort.
