If there’s one thing you need to know about summer 2025, it’s that both flip-flops and polka dots are reigning supreme, and we’re not mad about it one bit. Sabrina Carpenter — the people’s princess and a veritable tastemaker with over 48 million followers — just cosigned both of these warm-weather trends at once in an Instagram photo, wearing $5 polka dot flip-flops from Old Navy and successfully proving that on-trend style doesn’t have to cost you more than a Lincoln. “I know I have good judgment, I know I have good taste,” Carpenter sings in her hit song “Please Please Please,” and her recent choice of footwear couldn’t make that clearer.

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Old Navy Polka Dot Flip-Flop Sandals

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This season’s polka dot revival has been spearheaded by celebrities, street-style stars, and luxury labels’ spring 2025 collections alike. This year alone, we’ve spotted Olivia Rodrigo donning a polka dot midi dress under a wool coat; Kate Middleton inverting Rodrigo’s white-dots-on-black-background dress pattern with an Alessandra Rich number that accentuated her waist; and Sarah Jessica Parker taking a more color-happy approach to the print via pencil skirt and blazer coordinates featuring white dots on a sky-blue background, not to mention dozens of other A-listers stepping out in dot-clad pieces of their own.

On its spring 2025 runway, Carolina Herrera embraced an overload of black-and-white polka dot patterning on striking minidresses and two-piece sets, providing regular palette cleansers by interspersing the looks with flashes of pink, red, and blue. Similarly, Jacquemus tapped into the trend by covering outerwear and pumps in this playful design, and the fact that the fashion house did so for its fall 2025 collection gives us hope that the dots are here to stay for a while. Amidst all of the opulent furs, glittering sequins, and rich leathers on display at Fendi‘s fall 2025 show, the brand also managed to squeeze in some polka dot action — by way of a long-sleeved dress whose dots were big, red, and seeped onto a similarly dotted handbag.

A variety of polka dot designs hit the runway during Carolina Herrera’s spring 2025 presentation. Courtesy Giovanni Giannoni/WWD

According to data from the trend forecasting platform Trendalytics, searches for the term “polka dot” skyrocketed by 260 percent in January of this year compared to 2024, while queries for “polka dot dresses” specifically rose by 52 percent. As for the flip-flop trend, the second part of Carpenter’s masterful sartorial equation, some of summer’s most popular styles have been elevated through subtle height boosts in the form of kitten heels and platforms or made into jelly-sandal hybrids that unleash hearty doses of Y2K nostalgia.

Pedro Pascal attends a “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” fan event on July 08, 2025, confirming the genderless allure of polka dots. Gerald Matzka/Getty Images

Of course, we can credit The Row for jumpstarting this flip-flop renaissance: transforming the once controversial shoe into a luxe, covetable status symbol. Since The Row’s three-figure, minimalist, logo-averse thong sandals entered the scene, other brands followed suit with their own reinterpretations of the classic silhouette: granting us gold hardware detailing, fringe add-ons, crocodile or snakeskin fabric makeovers, and beyond. While plenty of upscale iterations exist in today’s market, it’s all too tempting to take a trip down memory lane, which is where Old Navy’s affordable flip-flops come in. In the ’90s and early 2000s, they were the quintessential rubber pair to own during the shoe style’s prime — seen on every beach once summer arrived.

Luckily, the brand has kept its original flip-flops intact two decades later, and shoppers are now treated to more design options than ever before: courtesy of Gap’s creative director Zac Posen, who has ushered in some not-to-miss, fashion-forward takes since joining the brand (Carpenter’s polka dot choice being one of them). In fact, Posen shared the singer’s flip-flop photo on his own Instagram, with the hashtag #mademyday. Same.

Ready to level up your summertime shoe game with a celebrity-approved closet staple that will show the world you’re in the know of the latest and greatest fashion trends? Shop Carpenter’s favored style, plus other versions of the shoe that are every bit as darling.

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Old Navy Polka Dot Flip-Flop Sandals

$4.79 $5.99 20% off

Buy Now at old navy

Price upon publish date of this article: $4.79

Shop More Old Navy Flip-Flop Styles

Old Navy Pink Gingham Flip-Flop Sandals

$4.79 $5.99 20% off

Buy Now at old navy

Price upon publish date of this article: $4.79

Old Navy Blue Stripe Flip-Flop Sandals

$4.79 $5.99 20% off

Buy Now at old navy

Price upon publish date of this article: $4.79

Old Navy Black/White Stripe Flip-Flop Sandals

$4.79 $5.99 20% off

Buy Now at old navy

Price upon publish date of this article: $4.79

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Meet the Author

Stacia Datskovska is a Senior Commerce Writer at WWD and FN. Previously, she worked at ELLE DECOR as an assistant digital editor, covering all things luxury, culture, and lifestyle through a design lens. Her bylines over the past five years have appeared in USA Today, Baltimore Sun, Teen Vogue, Boston Globe, Food & Wine, and more. Prior to joining ELLE DECOR, Datskovska learned the ins and outs of e-commerce at Mashable, where she tested products, covered tentpole sales events, and curated gift guide roundups. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and international relations. Datskovska frequently covers celebrity style and trending footwear worth shoppers’ time.

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Sabrina Carpenter Nails Two Summer Trends in One With Old Navy’s Polka Dot Flip-Flops

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