Paige DeSorbo leaned into comfort on Monday, photographed on the New York set of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” in black buckle cloud slides.

Her pair cut low and practical: two wide matte straps fastened with tonal buckles, set on a molded base with a slightly ridged tread. The silhouette has become shorthand for comfort-first footwear — the kind worn to the airport, the corner store and now, apparently, the set of one of fashion’s most anticipated sequels. Worn beneath a pale pink feathered minidress, the slides collapsed any pretense of glamour, replacing it with the blunt practicality of foam and buckles.

It’s not clear whether DeSorbo is playing herself or another character in the film. What is clear is that her footwear choice, likely between takes, given the rest of her ensemble, sits in quiet dialogue with other flats spotted on set. Anne Hathaway was seen in quilted Chanel slides earlier this summer, while Simone Ashley wore a smooth double-strap version from the same house. Together they sketch a surprising throughline for a sequel built on stilettos the first time around: flat, functional sandals.

Cloud slides, however, stretch far past Manhattan soundstages. The silhouette has exploded into one of the internet’s most duplicated forms, with Amazon alone carrying dozens of near-identical versions priced under $40. Their appeal is built on molded soles and padded straps, but also on ubiquity — they’ve become the default off-duty shoe for millions, no matter the logo.

Even the luxury and performance ends of the market have leaned into cloud silhouettes. Earlier this month, Zendaya unveiled the Cloudzone Moon sneaker with On, extending the Swiss brand’s cushioning technology into a co-created silhouette. The partnership underscored just how quickly the “cloud” concept has moved from TikTok virality to runway and campaign territory, blurring the line between recovery shoe and status object.

Against that backdrop, DeSorbo’s slides land closer to the source: unbranded, utilitarian and instantly recognizable. They don’t trade on heritage or exclusivity, but on the same promise that has carried the category into ubiquity — comfort.

“The Devil Wears Prada 2,” directed by David Frankel with costumes by Patricia Field, is slated for May 2026. The stacked cast includes Hathaway, Streep, Emily Blunt, Simone Ashley, Lucy Liu and Justin Theroux.