Flip-Flops and Jeans Outfits to Unlock The Row Look for Less

Everyone is talking about The Row’s $690 Dune flip-flops. The simple toe-split sandal has sparked TikTok tirades and New York Times think pieces. Marie Claire’s fashion news team has extensively covered the high-priced shoe since the quiet luxury celebrity crowd has no hesitation about paying $700 for a rubber pool slide.

I, however, am focused on a separate matter: in the Olsen twin-helmed brand’s Spring 2025 collection, The Row styled its viral flip-flops with large, loose jeans that puddled around the shoe’s V-shaped strap.

I’ve always had a soft spot for style mashups that feel so wrong they’re right, which is why pairing flip-flops with jeans fascinates me. After all, flip-flops (those waterproof rubber thong sandals) belong on the beach, teamed with a gauzy swimsuit cover-up or breezy linen trousers. And denim—especially a $1,050 puddle-length pair from The Row—seems utterly impractical by the ocean, its hem destined to drag through the sand.

And yet, The Row’s flip-flop and jeans formula works because while the sum of its parts might be, it isn’t a beach outfit at all. Instead, it’s a combination you’d see on a nonchalantly cool Manhattanite, and you’d spend the rest of the week thinking about it—or in a luxury brand’s collection that debuted almost a year ago and hasn’t left your brain since.

The juxtaposition of beachy flip-flops and durable denim is unexpected. And like kitten heels paired with track pants or a frilly dress combined with a grunge leather jacket, this oddball combination makes the entire outfit feel far more complex and interesting than the expected pieces of either item.

Considering that the Olsen twins commandeer the trend cycle like high-fashion puppeteers pulling the strings (they’re the reason jelly sandals and plaid are experiencing super-charged spikes in popularity right now), I expect flip-flop and jeans outfits to be a leading style for summer 2025.