New York Fashion Week has swept through the city yet again and left us with styles to look out for in spring 2026, including several buzzy shoe looks. Here, FN examines the prominent shoe trends on the runways this September, including boat shoes, thong sandals and embellished silhouettes.

1. Boat shoes and moccasin styles

Boat shoes have proven their staying power this fashion week. Notably, Monse embraced the look through a collaboration with Sperry, which debuted on the luxury brand’s runway; eight silhouettes, two of which were runway exclusive, could be seen during the show. The reinterpreted boat shoes reflect Monse’s 10th anniversary collection with jelly materials, grommet details, graffiti-inspired designs and platform silhouettes.

“After two consecutive seasons on the Monse runway, we’re proud to return to the NYFW stage with an official collaboration,” said Jonathan Frankel, president of Sperry, in a statement. “The Sperry x Monse Collection shows how boundless the boat shoe can be and reflects the innovative spirit that the brand has carried for 90 years. This partnership has been a long time in the making, and it shows how a shared vision and dedication can create something transformative.”

Gaining momentum this season, Larroudé also recently announced a boat shoe, as did Sebago in collaboration with Gary Johnson.

In a similar vein to boat shoes, different moccasin-like styles could also be seen on runways this past week. Khaite presented the style in multiple colorways with metallic stud details, and Calvin Klein went the hybrid route with an athletic-looking moccasin-sneaker style.

2. Thong sandals

Flip-flops recently cemented their relevance beyond the beach, with The Row’s Dune style taking off and and trendy collaborations creating buzz lately. Based on spring 2026 NYFW shows, thong sandals in general are looking to secure their dominant place next year. Staud, for example, presented many iterations of it in the new California-inspired collection by Sarah Staudinger.

Emily Mercer wrote in a review of the collection for WWD, “Her updates to the popular thong sandal — the sporty Casey with napa leather thong straps atop colorful mesh panels and speed-clip-adorned Freja with vibrant, lacquered heels — were both standouts in footwear.”

Meanwhile, Michael Kors displayed many refined sandal looks on the runway, including flat thong sandals with a minimalist asymmetric design showcased in different colors.

3. Embellished Styles

While some minimalist silhouettes could be seen on runways, that’s not to say fancy flourishes are out the window for spring. Interesting material choices and textural embellishments made unique statements in the presentations of multiple brands. Anna Sui, for instance, went with a romantic vibe, showcasing a lacy floral embellishment on a range of silhouettes with the help of frequent collaborator John Fluevog.

Thomas Waller wrote in a WWD review of the collection, “An avid vintage purveyor, scarves and shoes with rosettes by way of John Fluevog looked like you might have found them at a yard sale of treasures, all mixed in to her layered lineup.”

In another example, Tory Burch displayed a metallic hardware embellishment on different heel styles on the runway, like the slingbacks below, and got even more into embellishment with intricate decorations applied to a few pointed-toe heels, also pictured below.