Bradley Cooper Has Chosen a Side in the Great Flip-Flop Debate

Bradley Cooper thankfully (or sadly, depending on your faith), shot to fame long after flip-flops were worn with diamante-studded jeans and visor shades down in the cluuurb. In the heated, heady days following the millennium, flip-flops were the go-to for tanned boys that, like their patron saints of the Jersey Shore, wanted to get crazy, get wild etc. And then, like Ed Hardy, wage growth, and TV shows about people lamping their friends on a night out, flip-flops snapped out at the end of the ’00s. Some were disappointed. Most were relieved. The sigh was universal.

But beneath the premature headstone, maybe they were just hibernating. In New York yesterday, Cooper, a man of great taste in sneakers, swapped his usual Air Jordans for—breathe in—flip-flops. First and foremost, to release the dogs in NYC is a brave thing; have you seen the state of those pavements? It also points to a quiet renaissance of sorts. For some months, flip-flops have been plotting their return like a Marvel villain in the end credits. Slowly, surely, confidently, they will get their revenge. And truly, many guys are thrilled about it.

Chris Hemsworth has historically stanned a flip-flop. As an Aussie, it makes sense, because beaches, BBQs and a far better quality of life. Chris Pine, an actor who has embraced the wavy in his 40s, has been known to dabble. And now, there’s Cooper. Know that the big brands are also having a flirt with flip-flops. Under menswear oracle and creative director Nigo, Kenzo riffed on traditional zori sandals; not flip-flops per se, but a much more elevated sibling in the same universe. The god of fine, fine, fine Italian menswear Brunello Cucinelli released a very neutral pair. And lest we forget the holy altar of taste, The Row, with its $690 flip-flops from the forever expensive and always elegant Olsen twins.

Listen, flip-flops will still have their haters. Fashion brands be damned. This conflict is an ancient one, too. In 2015, The Cut asked guys to “weigh in on the great flip-flop debate.” A whole decade later, Bradley Cooper is making his thoughts known.

This story originally appeared on British GQ.

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