Should The Toes Be Out? Flip-Flops Are Having A Red Carpet Moment

It started innocuously enough- this month, Bradley Cooper who is currently making the rounds in the news for his high-profile relationship with supermodel Gigi Hadid, was spotted seemingly mid-errand, wearing flip flops.

While the pap photos of him strolling in New York might seem ordinary at first, the footwear that he wore was toe-tally unexpected.

Clearly, a step up from his usual paparazzi shots- though some may sincerely not find it impressive- Cooper was seen flaunting his flip-flops. Yeah, one would have thought it was a good looking pair of sneakers or loafers without socks or something. No. Just flip-flops.

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Honestly, it didn't feel like it was going to an alert for a new and upcoming trend. But this week the Bridgeton acclaimed star, Jonathan Bailey, was spotted showing off his flip flops at a London photocall for his new film Jurassic World Rebirth alongside Scarlett Johansson.

The British actor, 37, appeared in a grey sweater, black pants, paired with cool sunglasses and those controversial black flip-flops. Note: his toes were perfectly pedicured!

Naturally so, the internet's divided like it's Met Gala all over again. With some faithful fashion enthusiasts wondering if we might be tip-toeing the death of dress codes as we know them, while others kinda dumfounded with the possibility of a new kind of red carpet rebellion.

Obviously, wearing flip-flops has been considered as the sacrilege. But given that it's seems to be the inevitable next step in fashion's ever -expanding definition of 'acceptable' footwear. Is it being lazy or experimental? Crocs, for instance, have become high-fashion, UGGs went from dorm room to runways, and the humble Birkenstock where do we begin.

So, flip-flops, it seems, have been waiting for the long overdue moment. But this is one way to look at it considering a growing number of celebrities are valuing authenticity (read: acting like they don't care), wearing sliders is ok (maybe once in a while) to the formal events.

Afterall, Julia Fox showed up with a plastic bag as a purse and Timothee Chalamet in a backless harness. Why shouldn't toes be out?

These toe-hangers have long held a strange place in the fashion hierarchy- they have been looked down upon , and restricted to their association with summer holidays, beachwear, dorm showers and regretful airport purchases. In the arena of high-fashion, they have been banished for the longest haul.

Since a couple of years, the boundary between fine line between formal and casual has been slowly eroding. Streetwear has infiltrated couture, Pajamas have become daywear and the ugly-cool crocs are somewhat aspirational. Red carpet dressing ,too, has increasingly become a space for mean to present irony and subversion.

Remember, Alexander Skarsgard, Asap Rocky and Pedro Pascal's high boots moment - it seems like beyond the suit and tie, footwear rules are also on the verge of being rewritten- or just gleefully ignored.

The other way to look at this from the lens of a certain degree of democratisation that seems to be at play but with strategy. In a sea of thousand-dollar gowns and bespoke tailoring, flip-flops are the bringing the simplicity. When Bailey wore his on the red carpet, they were paired with wide-legged tailored trousers and a deliberately oversized silk shirt- a studied balance of slouch and structure.

Cooper's flip-flops, too, weren't entirely accidental. The look was breezy, yes, but intentional. Not a last minute decision as it seems to be. Nevertheless, debatable.

Will flip flops become a red carpet mainstay or not en masse? The idea that they even can be - that celebrities are playing with that line and daring the rest of us to rethink it- says more about the state of fashion now than any 12-foot train or custom corsetry could.

We are keeping an eye out on the rise of the trend. Whether it will pivot into something viral or just be a blip is a conversation for later.