Styling jeans with sandals isn't as easy a spring combination as say, a maxi skirt and flip-flops. But take it from Rihanna, the hassle is worth it in the end. On April 18, she proved the set is seamless with heels high enough to stop her denim from dragging. It all came down to the sandal trend she chose.
The mom-of-three was impossible to miss inside Parisian baby store Bambino, mostly thanks to her $9,200, mustard-yellow jacket from Miu Miu. Once the shock of the suede-and-leather piece's price tag wore off, fashion girls appreciated her ability to wear jeans and sandals simultaneously. The denim trend that made it happen? Baggy straight-leg jeans, a French girl-beloved silhouette RiRi first fell for in January.
Then, black peep-toe sandals emerged from beneath each hem. Only her pristine white pedicure, plus the shoes' slim uppers and ultra-skinny stilettos, were visible. Knowing Rihanna, that's all her fans needed to see to follow suit this spring. Zoom in to see the subtle, croc-looking grain atop each vamp. (Perhaps they're an edgy imagining of the doll heels trend seen on Hailey Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, and more recently.)
Rihanna has been slipping sandals under jeans for decades. They're not your most conventional models, either. Last summer, the uniform appeared with AGOLDE wide-leg jeans and python Tom Ford pumps, then cuffed jeans and Amina Muaddi heeled flip-flops.
Two months ago, she revived the set for the umpteenth round in almost-identical denim, while neon green shearling sandals added lots of unexpected texture. The stilettos didn't stretch nearly as high as her latest heels, but they did their job: The Fenty Beauty founder's straight-leg AGOLDE jeans didn't graze the L.A. concrete once. What's more, their neon shade complemented her checkered bucket hat.
Until now, flip-flops were the obvious counterpart for VIP jeans outfits. But this weekend alone, Rihanna and Selena Gomez proved thong-free sandals have just as much It-shoe potential. 24 hours after RiRi sampled her anti-flip-flop footwear, Gomez followed suit with toe-ring wedge sandals.
See? You do have options beyond flip-flops this sandal season. A subtle shift in silhouette, shade, or print can give thongs a tough fight.
