Are ballet flats the 'it' shoes of 2025?
Move over loafers. The most popular shoes of this season seem to the ballet flats.
They have flooded social media timelines in the past month as the ultimate 'cool-girl shoes", with celebrities like Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Dua Lipa often seen sporting them.
Given their increasing popularity, luxury and fast fashion brands are now offering different versions of the ballet flats. Among them, the ballet sneaker is enjoying the most limelight, since it offers the comfort of a sneaker and the romance of a ballet shoe. Take the LV Sneakerina, a lace-up trainer and ballet flat cross, for instance. Or, Chanel's Mary Jane ballets with cutesy bow detailing.
Their popularity rose with Audrey Hepburn sporting them in the 1957 musical, Funny Face. By the 1990s, they became the go-to casual footwear for celebrities like Kate Moss and Sienna Miller. Back home, A-listers like Kareena Kapoor Khan and Ananya Panday are often seen wearing plain black ballet flats.
Mumbai-based designer Aprajita Toor's new collaboration is inspired by the ballet flat. She's reimagined it by adding traditional zardozi embroidery. 'It's about reimagining something so Western in a traditional manner while keeping it very modern," she says.
One of the reasons she decided to work on the ballet flat is its versatility.
'Whether you're heading to a brunch or a candlelit soirée, they fit perfectly, plus they are comfortable," she says. "For daytime, opt for pastel hues. We made zardozi-embellished flats to add more drama to the footwear."
Cecelia Morelli, co-founder of multi-brand fashion house Le Mill, started seeing a rise in interest in ballet shoes in 2023. 'We brought the Alaïa embellished leather ballet flats to India as soon as they were launched (two years ago) and there was instant excitement around it among the consumers," Morelli says. "Since then, during all fashion cycles, our clients have been on the lookout for trendy ballet flats. Currently, we have been noticing that the fishnet leather ballet flats are in demand because of summer. As the seasons shift, the style of ballet flats moves in tandem."
She suggests says the fishnet leather ballet flats are a good option if you are looking for a pair of footwear that works from morning to evening. "It is simple and elevates an outfit at the same time. The Vienne or laser cut ballet flats are also a great option. They combine what people look for in footwear: style and comfort."
Manish Mishra is a Delhi-based writer and content creator.
Also read: Can the corset be the new shirt?
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