The quarterly Lyst index is here once again, and it’s packed with fashion insights, including its list of the 20 buzziest brands of the moment. Starting off strong, Miu Miu regained its number-one slot, which it forfeited to Loewe last quarter following a surge in interest due to Jonathan Anderson’s departure. Prada, Saint Laurent, and Coach also sat comfortably in the top five, with COS hovering at number seven as the only high-street brand in the ranking—directly behind The Row, at six.
The most prominent trend right now? Anything to do with, well, feet. People can’t stop talking about where to find this season’s hottest, freakiest footwear, how to still stand out while wearing closed-toe shoes in the summer heat, and whether toe rings are really making a comeback. Fashion trends come and go, often in the form of It bags and soon-to-be-forgotten silhouettes (the peplum revival is still waiting patiently in the wings; see: Phoebe Philo’s Sugar tops). However, it’s rare to see a single body part hold such autonomous power in the sartorial conversation.
Out of the top ten hottest items of recent months, six are footwear, including the Vibram Fivefinger shoes (a distant cousin of the Nike Air Rift), Ancient Greek Sandals, Iro ballet flats, and The Row’s pricey Dune flip-flops, which surged in popularity after Jonathan Bailey conspicuously sported a pair on a red carpet in London. The closer your foot is to the ground, the better, and extra points for flashing your toes. There’s something so nonchalant about balancing an outfit with the an unexpectedly informal shoe—it also signals that you can piece together a look from top to toe.
Interestingly, Katie Lubin, VP of brand and communications at Lyst, believes that The Row’s hype has never been more widespread, and points to the footwear trend as proof. “They’ve hit the sweet spot where minimalist aesthetic meets maximum cultural cachet, creating products that function as both wardrobe staples and status symbols,” she tells ELLE. Across the board, searches for flip-flops are up 68%, with customers unsurprisingly favoring COS, Havaianas, and Tory Burch as less expensive alternatives. (Not on the charts, but a popular honorable mention also goes to Tory Burch’s wide range of “pierced” silhouettes, which have taken over fashion girls’ feet with full force, offering a bolder statement in the low-key footwear field.)
Also on the “Hottest Products” list were the Isabel Marant wedge sneakers and Miu Miu’s suede logo-embossed boat shoes—two styles that have enjoyed relative longevity in internet years since they began cropping back up in early 2024. If anything, their resurgence, alongside the rise in ballet sneakers (like the Puma Speedcat flats) was a precursor to the footwear-focused trend that was to come.
In other news, athletic dressing continued to reign supreme, with Adidas track shorts coming in at number three, no doubt thanks to celebrities like Paul Mescal and Zoë Kravitz, who recently elevated the sporty staple with heeled mules and a Saint Laurent bag. According to Lubin, Burberry also enjoyed a bump on the menswear side, specifically when it came to shirting and swim shorts. Earlier this year, the British brand once again returned to its roots for a festival-inspired campaign starring Cara Delevingne and the Gallagher family—proof that celebrity-endorsed, brand-driven nostalgia can still be enticing in today’s fashion sphere.
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