Trend Alert! Ballet Flats are Back.
Turns out shoe trends can get lower than the kitten heel. In terms of comfort, it’s worth celebrating that ballerina flats are making a return to the fashion scene, with brands bringing their take to the look in a variety of price points.
Image: via Szmon Brzoska
Ballet flats were last popular in fashion in the early 2010s with Tieks being the perfect fold-up shoes. Ballet flats were seen on the likes of celebrities from Kim Kardashian to Ann Hathaway and featured on stars from the decade's most iconic shoes like Blaire and Serena in Gossip. But It’s impossible to dissect a reemerging trend without acknowledging who brought it back in the first place. Miu Miu took the reins on ballet flats back in. Some would say that Miu Miu never truly let go of them in the first place, releasing styles in 2016 as part of their Spring/Summer collection. These satin round-toed flats featured black leather belts with silver buckles as well as black and white gingham ribbon laces. The brand has released flats consecutively following 2016 and year after year they have proven to be more streamlined. In 2022, the Miu Miu logo band Ballet Flat was the shoe to have at Milan fashion week. With its flat front style and often paired with leg warmers, the shoes embodied the #balletcore trend of the season. The brand offers a variety of ballerina flats in materials from leather to satin and colors from black to baby pink.
Image: via Valentino Steven Miesel
Although the mainstream return of ballet flats started in 2022 with Miu Miu and Ballet Core, lots of other brands did not release flats of their own until this year, with Valentino being one of them. This season, the fellow Italian brand has released ballet flats of their own, their Rockstud Ballerinas. Offered in 9 styles, it’s a very edgy Valentino take on the trend. One style, the Rockstud Satin Ballerina, features a champagne-colored satin finish flat with thick ribbon bows, and Valentino’s iconic studs around the mouth of the shoe, as well as lining the long tie-up ribbons.
Image: via Editoirialist
The ballerina flat trend has extended beyond the bounds of Italian fashion and high-end fashion all together. Luxury yet attainable New York Fashion brand, Sam Edelman has released Ballet flats as well. The company's brand, Circus New York dropped their version of the flat on March 1st called the Teresa. This style is similar to Miu Miu with a square front and bow. More recently, the Zuri flat came out on June 28th and has an even more ballet core feel with its satin material and crisscross strap. This style comes in 7 colors, including metallic gold and red. On July 20th, Circus New York invited influences like Chase Marie and Jessica Torres to a dance studio in New York for a ballet class, promoting the brand’s newest Ballet flat style.
Image: via Tods
It appears flats are sticking around for the fall, brands like Tods and Simone Rocha featured comfy shoes during their runway shoes instead of the typical high heel. The Italian brand Tod’s take is their Bubble Ballerinas. Offered in 11 colorways, this compact nappa leather shoe features black rubber pebbles on the bottom and up the heel for comfort and aesthetic. So what do you say, are you willing to get down with the lowest style shoes can offer?
