Step Into A Flower Garden With New Melissa Harmonic + Alexandre Herchcovitch Sandals

We’ve already established that plastic can be fantastic — and not just when it comes to Barbie dolls and credit cards — but also in regards to footwear, as proven by the always trendy and whimsical designs of Brazilian shoe brand Melissa. Over the years, the brand has collaborated with a veritable “Who’s Who” of fashion names — among them Vivienne Westwood, Jeremy Scott, Jason Wu, and Alexandre Herchcovitch. The Brazilian-born Herchcovitch boasts a bold and often fantasy-laden aesthetic that echoes the electricity and jubilation exuded by Melissa shoes, so theirs is a match made in footwear heaven.

This season, Alexandre Herchcovitch has added one new style to his collection with Melissa: the Harmonic sandal ($90 at ShopMelissa.com), shown above in black and white. Available in four colorways (a deep indigo color and a translucent golden beige shade round out the offerings), the slip-on thong sandal features an intricate triangular vamp adorned with three-dimensional flowers that lend each design a textural, almost sculptural quality. The open back, meanwhile, keeps the design from feeling overworked and adds a casual vibe to the dressier motifs on the front.

What’s genius about the style, though, is just how well it borrows from the past while bringing these concepts into the future: utilizing age-old rosette motifs but doing so in a thoroughly modern medium (plastic), perfectly molding each petal to enhance its elegance while relying on the inherently kitschy vibe of the plastic uppers to create the push-and-pull that makes for interesting design, and choosing one solid color for each shoe so that there are no bells and whistles beyond the three-dimensional artistry.

From a styling perspective, you just can’t go wrong with these. Whether you pair them with shorts, capri pants, linen trousers, or a pretty day dress, they’ll add some gumption to your outfit while keeping the vibe undeniably feminine.