“What’s even in there, eh? Flat shoes for the subway?” Tom Wambsgans’s “ludicrously capacious bag” barb from Season 4 of Succession was almost a perfect burn but for a subtle anachronism. The idea that a young woman would change into high heels for work felt old-fashioned, so 2010.
By the time that episode aired, in 2023, heels had been trending downward for a while. As the world was grounded in the throes of the pandemic-y second quarter of 2020, the outlook was literally and foreseeably flat. A glance at the Lyst Index’s Hottest Items over the years is revealing. The clunky and comfy—Birkenstock Arizona, Uggs, and Crocs—gripped our soles as we shuffled listlessly around the house, maybe around the block. Those hideous Bottega Veneta Tire Boots dug their lug tread in for a while. Luxury writ large issued exorbitantly priced imitations of Birks, Tevas, and shower slides. The great Miu Miu satin ballet-flat craze of 2022 evolved into Alaïa mesh ballerina mania. In 2025, things hit an all-time low with Vibram’s freaky FiveFingers V-Soul flat swiftly followed by the summer of the $690 flip-flop, courtesy of the Row.