Ballet-core and the Everlasting Appeal of Sneakers
Ballet pumps triumph during the SS24 season—but fashion’s love for sneakers remains unscathed.
Ballet pumps were everywhere at the Spring/Summer 2024 womenswear fashion shows. From the runways of Proenza Schouler and Simone Rocha to the foot candy sported by front-row guests, ultra-feminine flats have fashion in a chokehold. Since FW22’s viral Miu Miu show, satin ballet shoes, velvet mary janes and Alaïa’s diamante-encrusted lambskin and fishnet styles have dominated the trend. Just like a great pair of sneakers, this womenswear Shoe of the Moment makes a statement about style and status, but it will need to evolve away from its elitist reputation to have a lasting legacy to match that of the performance-indebted sneaker.
First, some background. The ballet shoe originated in the 15th century in the courts of Europe, where ballet performances by aristocrats and royalty showed off wealth and celebrated marriages. The fantastical, platformed shoes they wore soon evolved to the familiar ballet flat to allow for a greater variety of movement. Ballet, however, has never quite captured the hearts of the masses. Ballet lessons are notoriously expensive, as are ticketed performances which, unlike more mainstream sports such as football and basketball, aren’t broadcast to the masses.
Fast forward to the 2000s, however, and ballet shoes earned fresh cultural caché on the feet of British style icons, cementing them as a staple within the contemporary style barometer. It was supermodel Kate Moss, the late musician Amy Winehouse, style icon Alexa Chung and it-girl Sienna Miller who dominated the tabloids in cut-off Levi’s, short tea dresses and low-rise jeans paired with classic flats. In the U.S., it was Lauren Conrad on The Hills and Paris Hilton in full Juicy Couture. Their influence trickled down to fast-fashion retailers and into the wardrobe of the masses. Predicating ballet pumps' resurgence on 2000s beauty standards is a slippery slope, but there are alternatives to the traditional dainty, feminine pump.
Luckily, we’re seeing more wide-fit shoe options and a new powerhouse of women in fashion sporting the ballet pump trend as the landscape of footwear continues to evolve. Simone Rocha’s emo platform pumps were recently seen on plus-size model Paloma Elsesser, while artist Rhea Dillon donned a pair of red Molly Goddard flats to the SS24 shows, punk-ish in nature with their studded straps. Editor Tamu McPherson rocked the Miu Miu flats over ankle socks, and The Cut’s fashion director Jessica Willis donned Alaïas all month. Maison Margiela’s Tabi flats are a leading contender for a more alternative take on the trend, with the signature split-toe design inspired by traditional Japanese socks.
If the past is anything to go by, when the mainstream trend cycle comes back around in 20 years or so, it will be these women and flats doing the rounds on TikTok and influencing the next generation.
Explore more SS24 trends.