The 2024 Flip-Flops Season Is Officially Open, According to Gisele Bündchen

The Brazilian model was recently spotted wearing a pair of casual flip-flops.

Gisele Bündchen has made it official: the 2024 thong sandals season is open.

Bringing back the shoe style ahead of spring 2024, the Brazilian supermodel paired a casual outfit with taupe flip-flops in Surfside, Fla., on Sunday. Her sandals featured a 1.5-inch strap on each side and a flat sole.

Bündchen wore the casual shoe style to walk her dog and enjoy a sunny day outside with her son, Benjamin.

Thong sandals

Flip-flops, also known as thong sandals, originated thousands of years ago. They were first seen worn by Egyptians, according to ancient Egyptian murals on tombs and temples dated back to 4,000 B.C. — 6,000 years ago. However, according to “Feet and Footwear: A Cultural Encyclopedia,” it wasn’t much later that flip-flops became popular in America. The term “flip-flop” originated in the United States somewhere around the 1950s, becoming a popular trend after soldiers returned home from World War II.

Americans then reinterpreted the shoes, changing the design and colors while still maintaining the “thong” element. By the 1960s, flip-flops became a staple for beachwear, which had first started in California. Since then, flip-flops have been worn at the beach, at home, and when casually out and about, like Bündchen.

Gisele Bündchen’s shoe style

As a stylish model in the fashion industry for the last 30 years, Bündchen is naturally a trendsetter. In the last three decades, Bündchen has worn a variety of shoes on and off the runway. For red carpet events, she usually wears stiletto-heeled shoes and pointed-toe pumps, while in her everyday life, she often opts for something more casual like sneakers or sandals. Some shoe brands she’s been spotted wearing over the years are Ugg, Acne Studios, Chloé, Isabel Marant, Alexandre Birman, Schutz and Stuart Weitzman.