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Are these shoes fashionable — or just a flop?
Minimalist, ultra-luxe brand The Row, founded by the ever-chic Olsen twins, recently debuted a pair of $690 rubber flip-flops, which has caused a stir among style savants.
While the thong-sandal style has long been the subject of controversy, the price tag on this particular footwear — with its simple rubber footbed, which comes in scarlet, iron gray or black, and cotton grosgrain strap — is perhaps the most debatable part.
“The Row has lost it with the $690 rubber flip-flops they’re selling,” lamented one TikTokker, referring to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s Dune Classic Sandal. “Can’t wait to see who buys these.”
“And it’s gonna be sold out,” quipped one commenter.
“I’m convinced it’s a social experiment,” another chimed in, while someone scoffed at the “insane” sticker price.
“The Row is crazy but most of their items are sold out!!” one user agreed.
“It’s not made for poor people,” another person noted, adding that they also cannot afford The Row’s items.
They explained that the brand is “for the rich who don’t care” because “in their eyes, simple is rich, no matter the look of it,” chiding that it “makes no sense.”
“They’re just not for you, babe,” one viewer commented. “Not your tax bracket and that’s ok.”
Meanwhile, someone else argued that the cost of the humble sandal — also offered in a platform iteration for $750 — is “worth it.”
Already, the iron-gray colorway is sold out in many sizes on The Row’s official site, while some sizes and colors are only available in low stock from department stores like Nordstrom.
The Guardian cheekily took a swipe at the fashion label’s seemingly overpriced shoe, poking fun at the price tag by asking if the soles are “made of solid gold” or if the strap is “fashioned from the tongues of endangered birds.”
“The beach? At that price, I wouldn’t even wear them outside,” they wrote.
Even the New York Times slammed the sticker price as “egregious,” saying that “there is no way to pretend that they could possibly be worth the money.”
“I’m not saying all things from the Row are bogus, but these flip-flops feel like a stretch,” the publication argued.
Flip-flops have long been considered a contentious style choice. Not only do they promote poor foot health, but the laid-back footwear has been slammed as unhygienic — especially in a big metro area.
“You’re basically walking barefoot through New York City at that point,” one NYC resident, 25-year-old Selena Audrey, previously said in a viral social media post. “To me, it’s like walking on the bare concrete. Your feet get so dirty.”
But flip-flops have undergone a reputation revamp, and the once-obscene footwear is now utterly chic and hailed as the “It girl” shoe choice for the “quiet luxury” aesthetic.
Even celebrities like Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Jennifer Lawrence and Zoë Kravitz have been spotted sporting the shoe, while the simple sandal has also been paraded down runways for Chanel, Miu Miu, Burberry and Bottega Veneta in recent years.
“Do people know I’m wearing flip-flops in a Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, The Row, Olsen Twins, quiet-luxury, minimalist kind of way?” one TikTokker asked in a video posted last year, referring to the sandal’s stylish rebrand.
“Or do they think I’m just wearing flip-flops?”
