Alexander Skarsgård revived the luxury flip-flop debate at Sundance on Friday, wearing a pair of Valentino Rockstud thong sandals to the premiere of “The Moment” during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
The black leather sandals featured a flat sole and narrow thong straps traced with Valentino’s signature pyramid Rockstuds in gold-tone metal running evenly along the straps, giving the otherwise minimal flip-flop a subversive edge.
Skarsgård paired the sandals with Valentino pre-fall 2026 look 14 by Alessandro Michele. The outfit featured relaxed brown trousers and an olive and mustard-hued jacket layered over a matching shirt with a slim floral-print tie. A long beige coat finished the look, which was styled by Harry Lambert.
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Alessandro Michele brought the motif back into view in Valentino’s pre-fall 2026 collection, telling WWD’s Sandra Salibian in her December 2025 review that he didn’t want to tackle it immediately after arriving because he “didn’t know this territory so well.” “So I looked at this theme which is so interesting and represented a pillar for many years, a great invention,” he said, pointing to its link to Rome and the studs that appear on the doors of buildings there.
In the pre-fall lineup, the Rockstud ran across shoes and accessories, including thong sandals that place the house squarely inside the current men’s flip-flop conversation.
That conversation first gained traction in summer 2025, when Jonathan Bailey wore leather flip-flops from The Row while promoting “Jurassic World Rebirth,” prompting widespread debate about exposed toes in menswear. Since then, Bradley Cooper and Chris Pine have embraced the silhouette, while others, like Dwyane Wade, have publicly rejected it.
Skarsgård’s choice at Sundance also continues his penchant for unexpected footwear on the red carpet. In May 2025, he wore Saint Laurent thigh-high leather boots at Cannes — another deliberate break from menswear convention — also styled by Lambert. With Valentino’s Rockstud thong sandals, he once again positioned himself on the most divisive edge of men’s footwear, this time anchoring the moment in one of Italian fashion’s most enduring design signatures.
