Mesh ballet flats are the shoes of the summer, but don’t sweat it, here are our top 10 fave pairs
Do you remember the questionable clear plastic shoe trend? Kim Kardashian’s thigh-high perspex boots made us sweat just by looking at them. Thankfully, said trend is relegated to the early 2010s. 2023, however, has brought about the clean girl’s version of the sweaty shoe trend. Introducing the mesh ballet flats.
Albeit, mesh ballet flats aren’t going to be completely devoid of sweat, especially in the current heat wave, but they will be considerably less than their plastic counterparts. The trend might not be the most practical of options, but it’s all about committing to the fit.
In the past, ballet flats have always felt like an extension of the skinny jeans and flowy blouse uniform from the late 00s to early 2010s. Basically, it used to give straight up millennial corporate girlie. For us gen Zers, on the other hand, we only ever associated the shoe option with our school attire—we’d never dare wear them outside of the gates.
Now that we’re in 2023 however, ballet pumps have experienced a serious makeover and have practically become this year’s it shoe. TikToker and trend forecaster Mandy Lee is a ballet flat enthusiast, and has an enviable collection of the pumps. The trend is predominantly for those obsessed with the balletcore aesthetic. Think ribbons, lace, and cardigans. It’s cuter than cute.
@oldloserinbrooklyn Ballet flat evolution for 2022. Lmk your thoughts on their revival! #balletflats #balletshoes #fashiontrends #miumiu
♬ Blue Blood - Heinz Kiessling
As is customary these days, the fashion world has already explored every possible iteration of the style, from platforms to Margiela Tabis and even Croc ballet flats. We’re still very much obsessed with the Miu Miu silk ballet flats, and the updated leather belt add-ons made us feral. But, the latest instalment is the mesh ballet flat and, truth be told, we could not be more excited. Bring on the mesh.
The trend is all part of a fashion push to get our toes out—a look that inevitably brings on an overwhelming fear for those of us who have neither the time nor money to go to our local nail salon for a pedicure. In the name of fashion, however, it’s time to save up the pennies.
When Jacob Elordi stepped out to run errands and grab a latte with no shoes on, the barefoot boy summer trend really hit the ground running—quite literally. In Elordi’s case, rumour has it that in Australia it’s very normal to hit the supermarket without shoes, so we’re not here to judge. So, it seems only right that now it’s the girls’ turn to expose their feet to the world without hesitation.
We’ve rounded up our favourite mesh ballet flats for you to splurge on. Some come from the likes of The Row, Sandy Liang and Bottega Veneta, so you might want to wait for payday. Others are slightly more rogue but equally as iconic as the more expensive options out there. We’re currently obsessed with the Chinese-inspired slippers in neon green.
