Sporty, a Little Ugly, and Already on Elsa Hosk: Fall's First Viral Flats Have Arrived

By Swedan MargenAugust 22, 2025

Summer may be coming to a close soon, but the surge in popularity around crochet, woven, and mesh flats is only set to grow stronger into next season. In fact, we already have intel on the exact It pair that everyone and their mother will be wearing or, at least, talking about and wish-listing this fall. Shocker, Alaïa is the name behind it. After the craze around the Alaïa mesh Mary Jane flats, the brand is back again with an even fresher iteration, and we predict the same best-seller status for it.

Similar to the original style, the flats comes in a fishnet material, but their Velcro slip-on silhouette gives them a much sportier feel that's reminiscent of the water shoes we wore to the beach as kids. Already, the designer water shoes are establishing residence in key tastemaker wardrobes, including Elsa Hosk's suitcase. The model and designer recently wore them while vacationing in the English countryside, where she styled the flats with an airy white maxi skirt. The shoes also popped up on our feeds, on the Upper East Side of NYC on Arielle Charnas, and at Copenhagen Fashion Week, which are all solid indicators of an emerging It piece.

Considering we haven't had a pair of "ugly" shoes hit the mainstream in a while, this season could very well mark the return of controversial footwear in the fashion world, and we're placing bets on water shoe–inspired flats taking center stage. Ahead, see how style people are wearing the Alaïa water shoes and shop similar pairs from The Row, Christopher Esber, Mango, Reformation, and more.