These designer thongs cost over $1000 – are they worth it?
The international runways have embraced the toe-baring staple. But as Australians, we remain sceptical
By 
THE SOUND OF RUBBER slapping against a heel is as patriotic to the ears as our national anthem. With one-inch separating our feet from hot cement, bitumen, and sand, thongs (or flip flops) have defined our national costume of poolside-attire. Elsewhere, though, the toe-baring staple has been a source of cultural cringe. But what college-age Americans and backpacker Europeans would buy, cheaply, to wear in the communal showers of dorms and hostels, the sound of rubberised smacks was the unlikely chorus of the spring/summer 2026 menswear runways.
It came fast at Milan’s Prada – whose collection fantasised about gorp-core beachwear – with their sherbet coloured thongs. In Paris, Lemaire and Hermès were a given, but the cerebral likes of Dries Van Noten, Kiko Kostadinov and Auralee paraded toes, too. (Some looks were styled with toe socks.) Runway photographers are trained in trend-spotting; sourcing from Getty Images felt not too dissimilar to wikiFeet.com that week. By the end, it was a resounding movement from the French and Italians – what gives?
Earlier in June, thongs first entered the menswear group-chat when actor Jonathan Bailey walked onto the Jurassic World Rebirth London photocall in a pair. Dressed in an otherwise standard fare of leading man in a charcoal grey jumper, dark jeans, and, what would’ve been the talking point, tech-y Oakley shades, the immediate reaction was drawn to his thonged dogs. Made by American cult label The Row, they were taken as an affront to propriety, and, more egregiously, for their price tag.
Known for making the prosaic premium, the brand’s take retail for $1,270, about 36 times outside my thongs budget. And, like eggs, they’re usually sold out everywhere. (Waitlists abound for those who want a pair, FYI.) Designed by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the child-actors-turned-designers are often lauded for their personal taste; they’ve convinced luxury shoppers and their aspirants that, with a Birkin bag in one hand, a venti Starbucks cup in the other and Havaianas to pound the New York sidewalks in, cosmopolitan high-low can be achieved. (Most of these paparazzi images of them in the Brazilian footwear have been of them getting out of a car and into a building, mind you.)
While lacking any distinctive design hallmarks beyond a small logo on the footbed – the product details section boast their ‘Made in Italy’ provenance – they resemble more planks of rubber than following the curvature of the foot. Perversely, the thongs are entry-level to the rest of the offering. Rolling in a luxury spending slump, the push explains how high-end brands are banking on recasting the commonplace staple as their new ‘accessible’ investment. While that can be said for ones artisanally made in leather, The Row’s thongs exist in another reality entirely. As the Olsens started the brand in 2006 to “create the perfect T-shirt”, the flip flops feel like they’ve hit their own ceiling of parody.
After the memes settled, scepticism towards Bailey melted away as fashion weekgoers endured an unseasonable heatwave, their proper leather shoes turning into ovens. The international fashion press embraced these haute flip-flops warmly. (It’s well remembered that even sneakers were once taboo on the runways.) While not a novelty for us, Olsen acolytes are global and might just follow suit come our summer, revelling in their exclusivity. But in the spirit of fashion dupes, or in a show of patriotism, I’ll be in my Havaianas.
Related:
Prada spring/summer 2026 shows you what to pack for vacation
How the guys (and girls) are dressing for Paris Men’s Fashion Week
