Why Is Everyone In Fashion Wearing Slippers?

If you visit the footwear section of any multi-brand retailer right now, you will be confronted with a variety of slipper-style shoes. From wafer-thin leather flats that look like they wouldn’t stand a chance outdoors, to casual clogs and mules, the slipper renaissance is unfolding in real time.

Vogue has reported extensively on celebrities championing these “non shoes”: see Jennifer Lawrence in The Row’s sock pumps and Eva flats, Rihanna in Savage X Fenty Fluff’d Up slides or Lisa in Miu Miu’s logo-stamped velvet slippers. Over on Instagram and TikTok, meanwhile, “outfit of the day” videos are becoming increasingly populated by slipper-style shoes. Proof that wearing slippers has become as mainstream as wearing trainers. It’s only a matter of time before city commuters start wearing them with suits.

Simone Rocha X Crocs on Rocha’s spring/summer 2024 runway.

Vogue Runway

Loewe spring/summer 2024.

Of course, it’s not an entirely new phenomenon. Birkenstock’s Boston slip-ons, Uggs and Crocs became sellouts during lockdown, and have since secured their place in the fashion insider’s year-round wardrobe. Earlier this month, Crocs also released a collaboration with London-based brand Simone Rocha, which brought directional, embellished versions of the brand’s classic gardening shoe.

Other versions come courtesy of the spring/summer 2024 runways, where house-ready footwear took centre-stage. Jonathan Anderson – the brains behind those viral chain loafers – jumped on the trend at his eponymous catwalk show. “They remind me of my granny’s slippers,” he told Vogue of the crocheted clogs that accompanied no less than 24 looks. “Actually both my grannies had them. They were a thing. Kind of cozy!” Similar iterations featured in his collection for Loewe, styled with ruffled miniskirts.

JW Anderson spring/summer 2024.

The most divisive style of the season? The Row’s towelled hotel slippers – akin to those you’d find next to a hotel minibar – which cropped up alongside the label’s signature “quiet luxury” staples.

Personally, I have succumbed to the wear-anywhere-and-everywhere slipper. As a sneaker enthusiast, it felt natural for me to welcome them into my wardrobe, and I now rely on them for both weekend and work-wear. I even have pairs that were strictly indoor shoes that are now reserved for outside use only. Truthfully, the comfort factor is hard to beat.

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