My Spring Shoe Shortlist, Pt. 2: Jellies, Reimagined
Jellies stay—now with more range, refinement.
Welcome to Day 2 of my seven-day spring shoe edit—a weeklong mini-series delivering one thoughtfully edited shoe category per day.
Yesterday I kicked off with my edit of mesh, net and knotted picks(below).
Today’s category? The jelly. Yes, that jelly.
To say I was skeptical of the jelly revival would be an understatement. I had flashbacks to plastic friction, blisters, and middle-school regrets. But… I’m singing a different tune now.
Turns out, today’s jelly is surprisingly grown. It’s playful without being juvenile, transparent in all the right ways, and full of nostalgic charm—minus the trauma. There are hybrids designed for the weather-confused and fashion-curious.
Pro Tip:
Pack blister patches and roll-on blister barrier just in case (Band-Aid makes great ones!). These picks are solid, but the jelly PTSD is real—and we don’t need friction standing between us and the look.
Jellies are up for anything — here are the clear winners:
Tibi baby bootie clear (rain and socks welcome)
Loeffler Randall Rhys jelly sandal. Anyone else think about bourbon when you see these?
Sera fisherman sandal made by the bestie-founded brand, The Frēda Salvador, based in California, is among my top picks this season.
Another standout collab: Melissa—the OG jelly brand—teams up with fashion’s favorite democratizer for The Melissa x Telfar jelly slide
Tory Burch does the Jelly—softer, chicer, Mary Jane-ier.
Tuckernuck’s two-tone jelly with a leather strap is my ideal mix of polish and play.
As a petite person this platform jelly in sage (Melissa) is begging for the right music festival pairing.
What I’m reading
Jelly drama: I loved reading about André Ravachol, founder of Plasticana. After Emilia Petrarca called his hemp jellies “impractical” and “booger-colored,” he responded with an open letter. But instead of a takedown and messiness, it turned into a fun, unexpected conversation with a cool French guy who has a great sense of humor. She wrote about it on her awesome substack, Shop Rat.
If you’re in Cleveland…Takashi Murakami expands his exhibition to The Cleveland Art Museum.
There’s a new online luxury fashion and streetwear marketplace in town…
The Telfars are speaking to me