Hailey Bieber's heeled flip-flops are putting in the work. She's worn the spring shoe trend three times this week, pairing them with everything from straight-leg jeans to LBDs. But on March 25, high-vamp heels—another top contender for the season's It shoe—stepped in.
Though the Rhode founder snuck into a late-night church service wearing all-black, her anti-flip-flops were impossible to miss. She styled a sleeveless, mohair-wool turtleneck with matching straight-leg trousers. Thankfully, each flared hem didn't stretch too long, otherwise the defining feature of her footwear would've gone unnoticed.
High-vamp heels are known for their elongated toe boxes, of which Bieber's black, square-toe shoes were a perfect example. Silky-smooth, leather uppers extended so far, they mirrored the full-coverage fit of loafers. Bieber's kitten-heel pair had something Chanel and Balenciaga's high-vamps didn't: a Mary Jane-looking strap.
Bieber's high-vamp footwear obsession is months in the making. It all started last December, when she fell for Phoebe Philo slippers with the highest of vamps. By an early March trip to Tokyo—after Kendall Jenner endorsed the silhouette's rise to It-piece status—Bieber made the switch to high-vamps with an actual heel, like Reformation's $298 Inez Pump. Then, she was hooked. A week later, she debuted The Row's Viv Heels, complete with pointy, loafer-looking toe boxes.
Bieber's newest pair also doubles as her most full-coverage take on the trend yet. But Bieber and Jenner share shoe recommendations all the time. (Just last week they coordinated in The Row's Sacha flip-flops at the same L.A. event.) That said, don't be surprised if Jenner's Phoebe Philo Club Slipper—featuring an even higher vamp—appears on Bieber any day now.
Jenner wasn't Bieber's only influence to slip into high-vamp heels: After flat variations debuted on Jil Sander and Toteme's recent runways, the likes of Chanel, Stella McCartney, and Balenciaga countered with heightened options. All this to say? The Rhode founder's flip-flops had better watch out. High-vamps are coming for the It-shoe crown.
