Lyst’s Hottest-Product List Confirms It’s A Weird-Shoe Summer

We blinked, saw Charli XCX several times in concert, and just like that, the first half of the year is gone. We’re already into the “let’s pray summer ends soon” posting from some anti-summer folks, but before we dig into fall shopping, Lyst’s second-quarter dispatch is here to confirm and dispel some theories we have. We’ll get into the hottest brands list in a minute, but for now, our focus is on the weird and diverse range of footwear that popped into the top ten power ranking.

It should come as no surprise that The Row’s divisive and ludicrously basic Dune flip-flop — sold out everywhere and adorning a bevy of celebrities’ immaculately pedicured toes — is the biggest piece of the moment. It is, after all, a flip-flop summer, but the rest of the footwear in the top ten shows off just how weird we’re willing to get. See: Vibram’s wacky toe shoes, the jeweled jelly sandals from Ancient Greek Sandals, and the infamous Y2Chaos staple Isabel Marant sneaker wedge (which we saw coming back). Mrs. Prada is keeping the bloke-leaning and preppy styles alive with Prada’s Collapse low-profile sneak and Miu Miu’s suede boat shoe, respectively.

Speaking of Miu Miu, the brand reclaimed their throne as the hottest in the land for Q2. This comes as little surprise as well: They’re making the uber-expensive basics everyone wants to wear right now (track shorts, yes, and everything else, from tanks to polo shirts, bikini bottoms, and bandanas). A few more expected names held strong — Loewe, Saint Laurent, The Row — and two new bombshells entered the list-sized villa. Birkenstock broke through (sandals are everywhere, after all), but the blockbuster news here is that Burberry is back, baby. We’ve been keeping an eye on their pitch-perfect campaigns, and it seems to be working. Leaning full-force into the Britannia of it all and casting Alexa Chung will do wonders to sell checked bikinis and wellies.

So, if you’re on the fence about exposing your feet with sandals, let this be a gentle nudge to take the most sartorial risk with your shoe choice this summer. It doesn’t have to be the $690 The Row pair (although, good luck finding them), but it should go against your typical notion of footwear. Embrace Weird Shoe summer, because it won’t be here forever.