Ballet Flats Are Back. Are You Ready?

Forget every preconception you have about the ballet flat. Forget that it was last – truly – in fashion 15 years ago, and banish every memory you may have of celebrities like Cameron Diaz and Mischa Barton wearing skinny jeans teamed with cropped pastel cardigans and dainty ballet shoes.

The ballet flat is back, but not as most of us remember it. (And thankfully not teamed with pastel cardigans and skinny jeans.) Today’s iteration is less classic, less delicate and more directional.

“In the past, ballet flats have tended to be youthful, with a round toe and a little bow,” explains stylist Lucy Wood who compiled this edit. “The modern version comes in a range of colours – chocolate, buttery yellow, red – not just nude.”

The 2024 ballet flat also tends to have a higher vamp and more unexpected materials (think sheer or metallic fabrics, rather than leather).

“It’s more of a statement,” says Lucy. “It’s as great for night-time as it is for day.”

Enjoy Lucy’s edit below.