Even if I wanted to pick up where The Row Dune Sandals left off last summer, I'd have to start flip-flop shopping at square one. I'm entering summer 2026 with a fresh sandal trend in tow: kitten-heel mules, much like the Loewe pair Gwyneth Paltrow styled last weekend.

The Goop founder walked into a friend's baby shower wearing late-spring staples like an oversize cardigan and straight-leg jeans. But a rising It-shoe made her separates perfect for an early-summer evening. Paltrow debuted a raffia mule from former Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson 's annual summer capsule collection with Paula's Ibiza.

The Spring 2025 Pebble Soft Slide featured chocolate brown, raffia -woven uppers in lieu of V-shaped straps. Monogrammed, yellow-gold pendants atop the balls of her feet made each metallic vamp shine even more. Then, the raffia stretched as far back as traditional flip-flops.…