It’s been called the shoe of the season.
A US $890 jelly sandal, designed by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen for their luxury label The Row, has quickly become the must-have accessory of the fashion set after it was first spotted at the label’s Summer 2024 show in Paris.
In red and blue colourways, the distinctive webbed ballet flats were styled on the runway with the brand’s minimalist designs, making their presence all the more, er, clear.
The fashion press was immediately abuzz with talk of The Shoes.
Style tastemaker and author Leandra Medina Cohen called out the accessory as her one to watch.
“The jelly glove-style flats that appeared on The Row’s [runway] will be the greatest explosion we will face this summer,” she wrote in her Substack newsletter The Cereal Aisle.
In her ‘What’s next for ballet flats?’ series on TikTok, Australian fashion commentator Catarina Riley predicted they would be the next viral shoe to take over where Alaia’s popular netted flats left off.
“The brand have made the jelly sandal feel new,” Riley told viewers.
Watch: New sneaker trends to love. Post continues after video.
When the ‘Mara’ shoes finally hit stores earlier this year, they had already amassed a cult following. Predictably, they sold out straight away, and have continued to walk themselves to the checkout when restocked on The Row’s website (but you can get a webbed jelly tote for US $4.5K, if you’re in the market.)