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Key Takeaways
- ’90s jelly shoes are this summer’s latest “It” shoe, showing up in the runways and on the feet of celebs like Jennifer Lawrence and Taylor Swift.
- The trend is just one of the latest in a wave of ’90s and Y2K nostalgia.
- Expect to see jelly shoes everywhere as brands embrace the look, and get ahead of the trend with brands like The Row, The Gap, Chloé, and Melissa.
When the lyric “I don’t think you’re ready for this jelly” first made the rounds in 2001, we weren’t ready for a jelly shoe comeback. Honestly, we were sorta still in the first round of the trend cycle. The style was too fresh in our minds, too reminiscent of elementary school.
But now? We are so ready for this jelly. Too ready, in fact. The quick mainstream acceptance of the trend last summer meant tastemakers had to make the funky ’90s shoe even funkier this season, adding heels, charms, and other elements to the see-through silhouettes in an effort to up the pizzazz factor.
Ahead, discover everything there is to know about the jelly shoe trend, plus how to wear it yourself.
The Trend
A “jelly shoe” is any form of footwear crafted in a plastic gummy material. They’re often made with PVC, but some brands have been working to create more sustainable options (Salter House makes theirs with a hemp-based plastic).
Since the nostalgic shoe’s initial resurgence last year, we’ve seen celebs like Jennifer Lawrence (she has an impressive collection), Sofia Richie, and Taylor Swift step out in their jellies. The big oh-they’re-cool-again marker came when The Row brought netted PVC flats to their spring/summer 2024 runway last year.
Though the style disappeared from the 2025 collection, their Mara flat is still a hot commodity should you choose to track a pair down.
@maria.calvet/Instagram
This year, Chloé went in on the material with their new Chloé Jelly shoes: a collection of transparent summer sandals with shell-shaped heels. Their take on the trend revealed a larger transformation that’s taking place. This year, our jellies are shaped every which way. There are heels, fisherman-style sandals, flip flops, mules, and even clogs to clomp (or bounce? it’s so much more of a jelly word) around in on the market.
@sofiagrainge/Instagram
How to Wear Jelly Shoes
In case you haven’t noticed, everyone is leaning into the Y2K and ’90s revivals right now. It’s not hard to track down jellies, and we’re happy to help guide you to your ideal pair.
Chloé’s heels are obviously fabulous, and the original jelly shoe brand Melissa is still rocking it—founded in 1979, their shoes are 100% recyclable and made from vegan materials. If you’re in the market for a different shape or a specific funky color, here are ten other options to dig through.
Before you check out, remember that jelly shoes first became popular before we really cared what “BPA-free” meant. It’s 2025 now, so let’s harness all the environmental responsibility we learned in the last 25+ years of cultivating our personal styles. The PVC that some jelly shoes are made of is non-biodegradable, so if you grab a pair that isn’t sustainable make sure you pick something that you’ll want to wear for years and years to come.
“Where did you get your shoes?” someone will ask in 2050. “They’re vintage,” you’ll reply.
And they’ll be so jelly.
