This Surprising Trend Is Officially The Hottest Shoe Choice Of 2026

The most in-demand shoes of the season? The jelly sandals trend has gripped the fashion world, according to The Lyst Index …

Technology platform Lyst has dropped the latest instalment of The Lyst Index, a report which ranks fashion’s hottest brands and products from April to June 2026. Alongside rating the most popular fashion brands, the report highlights the viral products that have consumers and the fashion world in a spin. Amongst the most popular products of 2026 thus far is an unlikely footwear moment: the jelly sandals trend.

In Q2’s list, Skims’ jelly shoes and Chloé’s jelly mules ranked in the number three and five spots respectively, legitimising the divisive footwear trend in the fashion arena – or highlighting how marketing buzz and a heatwave make for a heady combination for consumers. Coming in at $58, Skims’ sell-out jelly shoes are an affordable take on the trend while, at the other end of the scale, Chloé’s ruched peep-toe jelly mules will set you back a cool €520, shop them below.

Available in caged designs, mule shapes and with dashes of diamanté, the jelly sandals trend is a playful take on summer dressing that came to the fore in summer 2025. And, like a lot of viral trends, such as athletic shorts and high-end flip-flops, it’s carried over from last year with aplomb. Love it or loathe it, iterations such as jelly ballet flats and woven styles have been embraced by stylish dressers such as Alexa Chung and Jennifer Lawrence.

Image: The Lyst Index.

Elsewhere, leading the charge in the top ten products of Q2 is a New York Knicks baseball cap. Demand for the basketball team’s merchandise surged 4,276 per cent, tracking with the team’s historic NBA championship win in June. Meanwhile, romance ranked highly for the last quarter with a pair of silk mini shorts by bucolic fashion brand Dôen – known for its ruffled blouses and romantic dresses – going viral (up 96 per cent), proving that the underwear as outerwear trend has wearability. Equally, Chanel‘s shield sunglasses spiked in searches (+363 per cent), proof that time-sensitive moments, such as summer holidays and sporting events, continue to wield a sizeable influence on our spending habits.

Elsewhere, in affordable fashion, high street brand Massimo Dutti rose in popularity this quarter, shooting to number three on the charts. Lyst credits its increased visibility to the power of celebrity: Bella Hadid wore a black V-neck maxi dress and woven croissant bag, both by the brand, for a dip into St. Tropez after the Cannes Film Festival. Equally, the high street retailer meets the demand for vacation-ready pieces that fit the bill for ‘euro summer’.