This "Dated" Flat-Shoe Trend Is Officially Chic Again—Here Are 9 Ways to Wear It

I can still remember my first pair of ballet flats, which my mother bought me when I started dance classes as a 7-year-old. I loved them and insisted on wearing them everywhere, with everything, dance class or no dance class. Unfortunately, due to my lack of coordination and daintiness, ballet didn’t stick, but I’ve had a soft spot for this slip-on shoe style ever since. 

During my teenage years in the noughties, as a budding fashion fan, I looked up to the likes of Kate Moss (arguably the queen of making the ballet flat cool) and Sienna Miller, who inspired me to pair them with everything from miniskirts to leggings. But thanks to their over-saturation, by the mid-2010s, I hung up my beloved bowed pumps, probably in favour of some Stan Smiths or Topshop ankle boots. 

I thought it was for good and came to terms with my ballet-flat era being over. That was until the last year or so when I’ve started to notice the “dated” shoe trend creeping back into the wardrobes of some of the most stylish celebrities and fashion people I know. More and more these days, I’m seeing ballet flats in outfits I really want to copy. 

Of course, a lot of this is down to the resurgence of the classic Chanel pump, which, timeless though it is, is certainly having more of a moment now than it has done for years. And while Londoners used to be my ballet-flat muses, now I’m mostly looking across the pond to French girls and their classic, elevated take on how to wear the shoe style—Chanel or not. 

Are you with me? If so, then you’ll want to keep scrolling because below I’ve curated nine of the best ballet-flat outfits I’ve seen recently that look anything but dated. They might even convince us to try the trend again. Happy scrolling!

Up Next: I Think These 6 Simple Shoes Look Great With Jeans, Skirts and Trousers

This story was published at an earlier time and has since been updated.