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It’s official: 2025 is the summer of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. Thanks to the steady drip of candid images burning up my social feed from the set of Ryan Murphy’s forthcoming series, American Love Story, the late CBK’s style is once again front and center. The series (premiering in Feb. 2026), which will chronicle her relationship with John F. Kennedy Jr., has reignited our collective love for her high-low minimalism… even as it fails to actually capture it. (CBK devotees have noticed the missteps: satin skirts that scream Zara clearance rack, a Birkin bag that hangs limp like a Canal Street knockoff, and a bottled blonde that’s nowhere near her iconic “buttery chunks,” perfected by colorist Brad Johns.)
Despite these oversights, I’m still fully on board with CBK Summer—though my fascination started long before the Murphy machine kicked in. After devouring Elizabeth Bellmer’s biography Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy last year (and following it up with every documentary, YouTube clip, and Carole Radziwill’s memoir What Remains), my casual admiration turned into full-blown obsession. Like many with a soft spot for fashion history and an unhealthy nostalgia streak, I’ve been quietly studying her style playbook ever since.
That playbook is why one of the biggest footwear trends of the summer makes perfect sense: the humble black flip-flop (or thongs, as we called them back in the 2000s).
Carolyn was often photographed in her Havaianas, pairing the unfussy sandal with carpenter jeans, a black turtleneck, and her famously full Birkin—a masterclass in blending laid-back practicality with stealth luxury. Even now, her preference for what we’d once call a “sloppy” shoe feels ahead of its time: minimalist, utilitarian, quiet.
And this season, designers are catching up. Flip-flops are everywhere—from the original under-$30 Havaianas to more elevated iterations by The Row and Toteme. Their appeal is as practical as it is chic: they’re perfect for running errands, pedicures (a CBK-approved ritual), dog walks, and summer weekends in Hyannis Port.
Whether you stick with the OG Havaianas or upgrade to something more luxe, the message is clear: the flip-flop is the quiet-luxury summer shoe you didn’t know you needed—and Carolyn called it first.
Havaianas Women’s Flip Flop SandalsThese classic flip flop sandals are still under $20. See At Amazon$18
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The Row Leather Thong SandalPeak quiet luxury. See At Mytheresa$890
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Toteme Kitten Heel Flip Flop SandalThe chicest way to dress up to the trend. See At Nordstrom$480
Reformation Jessie Thong SandalAn elevated (yet reasonably affordable) leather version of the OG. See At Reformation$128
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Madewell Chiara Kitten Heel Thong SandalA wallet-friendly alternative to the Toteme kitten heel. See At Madewell$118
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The post Scouted: Summer’s Biggest Footwear Trend Is Totally Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy-Coded appeared first on The Daily Beast.
