I fully support people wearing whatever makes them comfortable, but I have to say that seeing very bare sandals (such as flip-flops, sorry!) on city streets makes me cringe a bit. It’s exceedingly rare that I’ll wear sandals at all when visiting NYC, especially after hearing a friend’s story about a rat scurrying across her foot while waiting for the subway once. But alas, I’m not here to try to scare you away from wearing sandals in the city, but I am here to point out that there’s an alternative, which happens to be a major 2026 flat-shoe trend that looks just as cool and seasonally appropriate with a dress or skirt as sandals do, and Katie Holmes just proved it. That trend is glove flats.

As a stylish resident of NYC who walks a lot, Holmes is a constant example of what to wear that’s both functional and chic enough for the city. The outfit she chose for a recent outing was just that. Holmes wore a silky lace-trimmed Dôen dress (in the prettiest shade of blue imaginable), and instead of just throwing on a pair of sandals and heading out the door, she put on a red button-down shirt and the aforementioned glove flats. Soft leather ballet flats have a minimal look that subtly complements everything they’re paired with, and they’re comfortable enough to walk multiple blocks (yes, even avenues). They also add more of a cool-girl IYKYK look to an outfit than a simple pair of sandals might.