The designer footwear market is more crowded than ever, making it extremely hard for a pair of shoes to stand out and earn true It status. However, a pair breaks through now and then, often thanks to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's influence and The Row’s quiet luxury label stitched into it.
Enter The Row’s Emi flatform sandals—these understated slides have quickly become the most sought-after shoes of the summer. Crafted from black patent leather (they're also available in a khaki hue), the Emi sandals feature a thick platform sole and a subtle open-toe silhouette, resembling a peep-toe design, as they reveal just three or four toes instead of five. Subtle, minimal, and effortlessly elegant—they epitomise everything The Row is known for.
While celebrities often help catapult The Row's pieces into the spotlight, this time it’s Instagram influencers driving the buzz. One standout is Ilana Torbiner, a Chicago-based content creator who has been wearing the Emi sandals since May. She’s worn them around the city with relaxed jeans and a crisp button-down, and she has even taken them along on her travels to Provence, where she styled them with linen dresses and drawstring pants for a laid-back European vibe. Over in New York, fashion icon Leandra Medine Cohen has also been spotted in the Emis, pairing them on multiple occasions with straight-leg jeans and simple tank tops.
Although The Row is best known for its everyday wardrobe staples, its footwear continues to win over the fashion set (think its Zipped Boots and Bare Leather Heels). The price tag is steep, but the styles are timeless, classic, and versatile. And with shoes like the Emi, you get exactly that: an understated staple you can wear daily, style endlessly, and rely on for seasons to come.
Tempted to invest in a pair? Keep scrolling to shop The Row’s Emi flatform sandals and a few chic alternatives.
Shop The Row's Emi Flatform Sandals:
Harrods is one of the few retailers that still has these sandals in most sizes.
Shop Similar Style Sandals:
If you don't like a flatform, this sleek Emi iteration is for you.
If you couldn't tell, slides—especially peep-toe ones—are having a moment. This pair is at the top of our wish lists.
These are the type of sandals that only innately chic dressers own.
Whichever Row sandals you get your hands on, you can look forward to wearing them for a long time.
This summer, every fashion person will be styling these with white linen dresses and retro sunglasses.
If you own satin sandals, I know you have expensive taste.
Timeless, classic, and chic.
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Aged 35 or 56—Jennifer Aniston's Timeless Jeans-and-Sandals Pairing Always WorksAn enduring combo.
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Sorry Birkenstock Bostons, This Is the Chic Sandal Stylish People Are Wearing Instead Right NowLife’s better in sandals.
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Jeans Don't Always Cut It—The Elegant Trouser-and-Shoe Combination Fashion People Are Wearing RNTake a page out of Hailey Bieber's style book.
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Jennifer Lawrence Just Wore the Simple Sandals That Make All Skirts Look 10 Times ChicerI'm inspired!
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Even White Poplin Skirts Can't Compete With the Pretty Skirt Trend I've Seen in NYC, Milan, and ParisHands down, it's the most elegant buy of the summer.
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The Expensive-Looking Zara Sandals That Every Fashion Person Owns Are Back With a 2025 UpdateThese will sell out fast.
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Alexa Chung Just Ditched Sandals in Favour of These Chic Flats on HolidayMy packing list will never be the same.
