Ballet pumps have proven to be the most enduring of trends. Initially donned by Jane Birkin in 1957, the style resurged in the noughties as a crucial constituent of Kate Moss’s off-duty uniform. Alexa Chung soon adopted the style, and nowadays, so have Hailey Bieber, Zoe Kravitz, Dua Lipa—you name the It-girl, they wear them. One need not harp on about the famed silhouette’s popularity—anyone with eyes and access to public life can recognise it. The same goes for elevated ballet pumps, which garnered a long list of celebrity devotees back in 2021 and have since then maintained their monopoly over street style.
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Elevated ballet pumps are hardly new. Inspired by the traditional Japanese split-toe sock, Maison Margiela’s Tabi shoes became a cult favourite among the fashion set of the ’90s, famously worn by Chloë Sevigny in a 1995 Mark Borthwick photograph. Once a marker of alternative style, the distinctive silhouette has since entered the mainstream, with Dua Lipa spotted wearing a pair in 2023.
The ballet pump has undergone countless reinventions since. In 2022, Pieter Mulier introduced Alaïa’s viral studded Strass flats, ushering in a wave of embellished iterations from Tory Burch, Isabel Marant, Gimaguas and Khaite. For 2026, designers are taking the trend further, swapping conventional studs for crystals, punk-inspired spikes, metallic grommets and even discarded objects, as seen at Ashley Williams.
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Beyond their popularity, the ballet flat’s reinvention signals a shift in how designers approach femininity. Once defined by its delicate, girlish appeal, the silhouette is being subverted through rebellious details that challenge traditional notions of girlhood. Even the rise of mesh ballet flats, reminiscent of fishnet stockings, suggests a more provocative evolution of the classic style.
As the trend approaches saturation, how can the ballet flat remain relevant? From luxury labels to the high street, we round up the most compelling interpretations worth investing in.
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Ashley Williams Blue Grid Trash Melody flats, $730
Available at Ashley Williams.
