Step Aside Ballet Flats, This Shoe Trend Is Set To Be Everywhere Come Spring

Few shoes have staged a comeback quite like the ballet flat. Once a 2000s staple, the humble silhouette resurfaced on the runway several seasons ago and has since done something that most trends don’t: it stuck. So much so that the style is evolving – this time with a heel.

Built for the days when flats feel too casual, but stilettos are too much of a commitment, the heeled ballerina shoe earns its place, and this season’s crop splits into four distinct camps. There are glove-like “opera” styles with a close, encasing fit; classic bow-fronted pumps made taller; backless mules built for slipping on and off; and clean, minimalist versions that let the heel do all the talking.

Whichever direction you take, the promise is the same: a shoe dressy enough for dinner, but comfortable enough for the commute. Here are 24 styles worth adding to cart now.

Opera shoes

Not quite a ballet flat, but not a heel or loafer either, the “opera” shoe sits somewhere in between. This season it’s having a moment, defined by sleek lines and supple leathers borrowed from jazz and ballet shoes. It’s a natural progression from the glove-inspired silhouettes trending on recent runways, where the shoe’s upper climbs higher up the foot for a touch more coverage.

Classic ballet shoes

The bow and silhouette stay, all that’s changed is the sole, which adds a subtle heel for a little more elevation. A strong place to start is Repetto, a French label that’s been making ballet flats since the 1940s and has carried that same expertise into heel form. For something a touch left of centre, MM6 Maison Margiela takes an architectural approach with a silhouette that almost looks traced around the foot.

Ballet mules

There’s a particular kind of ease to a shoe you can just step into, no strap or buckle slowing you down on the way out the door. Repetto and Paloma Wool both embrace that simplicity this season, keeping the shape close to a classic ballet silhouette without the back. Simone Rocha takes the category somewhere else entirely, her pink satin mules finished with a bow that could easily be mistaken for a pointe shoe at first glance: whimsical, hyper-feminine and a little tongue-in-cheek – exactly as you’d expect from her.

Micro court heels

Take the bow away and what’s left is quieter, a shape that sits closer to a classic court shoe than a ballet flat but keeps all the same comfort promises. By Far and Aeyde both stick to smooth leather and a low block heel, while Gimaguas presents a slimmer, more traditional court heel. It’s the kind that dominated the early 2000s and, if fashion’s habit of reviving a trend is any indication, it won’t be niche for long.