It's Here: The First New Sneaker Trend of 2026, As Seen on Dakota Johnson

By Swedan MargenDecember 24, 2025

Dakota Johnson has given us many great outfits this year, but she saved one of the best for last, for a day of shopping in Los Angeles this week. Something I've always loved about Johnson's style is how keyed into the latest trends she is, and how she wears them in such accessible ways throughout her day-to-day life. She's exceptionally skilled at putting together stylish outfits that non-celebrities want to (and actually can) recreate. Something she's especially good at is figuring out what the next big sneaker trend is, and wearing them in the chicest of ways. That's exactly what she did with her latest off-duty outfit.

With her leopard-print faux fur coat, white T-shirt, and light-wash jeans, Johnson wore a pair of Adidas Samba sneakers in teal patent leather. Yes, patent leather—my prediction for the first big sneakers trend of 2026. Patent leather shoes have been everywhere this year, so it makes perfect sense that sneakers are the next style to get a shiny makeover. In addition to Adidas, Puma, Nike, and Prada, to name a few, are also endorsing the trend via some of their newest releases. Johnson's patent leather Sambas gave her outfit a slightly dressier look than other sneakers would, which is apparent in the photo below. Keep scrolling to see for yourself and to shop Johnson's exact sneakers (before they sell out) along with a few other cool patent leather options.