The last time ballet flats were really and truly in fashion it was de riguer to wear them the skinniest of skin-tight jeans. This time around, things are looking very different—the complete opposite, in fact. Instead of drainpipe denim with pumps, we’re looking at wide-leg trousers as being the partner of choice for fashion’s best-dressed.
Only on the weekend did Alexa Chung make that point (pointe?) incredibly clear when she stepped out for dinner in Knightsbridge, London wearing a pair of slouchy black tailored pants with a leather coat, fuzzy scarf and diamanté Prada bag alongside simple black ballet pumps. She was, of course, sensible enough to know that a pair of ballet flats in mid-December is a risky move, and added some red socks to keep warm. While the sock-and-flats pairing may still be experimental enough divide a crowd, I think we can all agree that combing these simple flats with a more casual trouser silhouette is a welcome revision ahead of 2023. The SS23 trend line-up features a lot of ballet pumps, and there are many ways to wear them, swishy long skirts and scrunched-down hoisiery being most common on the runways.
So perhaps it’s no great surprise to see that the formula has already taken off across the pond too. Earlier in the month, Kendall Jenner was spotted wearing a pair of loose-fitting black trousers with the elastic band-strapped flats from The Row—a pair that will undoubtedly become one of the It buys of the New Year from the trajectory we’re already witnessing. They offered the perfect off-duty elegance to a simple baggy jumper-and-slacks outfit that I’m certain many will copy once the weather warms up a little.
Keep scrolling to see how Alexa and Kendall are wearing their ballet flats with wide-leg trousers, and
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