The most interesting shoes this season are flats, and they are being worn with the same conviction that once reserved itself exclusively for a four-inch lift. Here are six styles are driving the shift:
The Sculptural Ballet Flat
The ballet flat has been reengineered to broader in the toe box, more architectural in the sole, and finished in inventive materials. Bottega Veneta’s square-toe iterations in intrecciato weave and Ferragamo’s Viva ballerina are in the sportlight: shoes that read as a deliberate choice rather than a default.
The Pointed-Toe Loafer
Where the classic loafer is collegiate, the pointed-toe version is sharper as less campus, more boardroom in Capri. The Saint Laurent Le Loafer in smooth leather and Celine’s Eve Triomphe ballerina in velvet both execute this with the minimal hardware and clean topline that make them equally at home with wide-leg tailoring or a column midi.
The Slim Mule
A flat mule should not slide, but it should move with you, which is an entirely different proposition, and the distinction lives in the last. Manolo Blahnik’s Maylura mule and The Row’s Ginza mule both achieve the clean, uninterrupted line that makes a flat feel purposeful, without being just provisional.
The Equestrian Flat Boot
Not a riding boot in the literal sense, but more an edited version of one, cropped just below the knee, flat-soled, and built from leather with real structural integrity. Toteme’s mid-height boot and Max Mara’s flat knee boot are the season’s most wearable iterations. The silhouette works particularly well against palazzo trousers or a long skirt, and anything that allows the boot to emerge as the main character.
The Embellished Sandal
Embellishment at ground level requires precision, as the wrong execution tips into resort-wear territory. Valentino’s Rockstud flat sandal and Aquazzura’s Raspberry crystal-strap flat both thread this correctly: accents that read intentional.
The Minimal Leather Sandal
A flat leather sandal with two straps, clean buckle, nothing more, is one of those rare wardrobe propositions that genuinely improves everything it touches. The Hermès Oran remains the archetype: a sandal so precisely proportioned that it has not been meaningfully improved upon in decades. For those seeking an alternative, Loro Piana’s Summer Walk sandal in suede achieves a comparable quietness with a rouch of elegance.
