Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber ditched winter for a weekend in paradise complete with palm trees, bodycon dresses, and 818 tequila-infused drinks; God knows that for a couple of days, they would have jumped at the chance to turn boots into mesh slippers and snow into sand.

But on December 16, the two showed their return in an Instagram photo that quickly revealed the reason behind their trip: a destination wedding held in honor of Cherry Los Angeles founder Joe Perez and his now wife Jessica Lageyer. Perez is the brother of Jenner and Bieber's longtime friend Lauren Perez, so it makes total sense that the two would fly in for his beachside wedding.

However, one snapshot from Kendall Jenner's photo diary stopped me in my tracks. Apparently, the model's weekend packing list included mesh mule flat shoes with beaded black flowers.

Flat shoes like Jenner's are inspired by slippers, which have been worn for thousands of years in East Asian, South Asian, and Southeast Asian cultures. In an interview with Hypebae, Dr. Sarah Chan, head of the design history program at the Royal College of Art in London, said, “As a fashion garment, something like the mesh slippers that are in vogue today are strongly reminiscent of the Chinese/Malay fashion of Singapore and Malaysia are strongly reminiscent of the Chinese/Malay fashion of Singapore and Malaysia.”

The Hispanic and black communities also popularized mesh mules long before they became a mainstream trend in the 1990s and early 2000s. A decade later, the toe-out style gained popularity again as brands such as Balenciaga and Gypsy Sport sent them down the runway in 2016 and 2017. And now, thanks to Alaia's best-selling mary jane by Fishnet and mesh flats by Bottega Veneta, we are once again in the midst of a see-through slipper renaissance. [However, there seems to be a renewed interest on TikTok in affordable, original slippers as people grow tired of designer mesh slippers. In fact, styling videos like the one linked above by creator Kiara Bencosme may be where Jenner got the idea for her black mesh slippers with matching black pants for a walk on the beach. So even if you can't afford a snowy trip somewhere tropical, a pair of mesh slippers like Jenner's won't cost you more than $30 at most.