Its Official: These Are The 5 Shoe Trends Were Retiring in 2026

The new year is always a moment to reflect on the past twelve months. Pondering the person we’ve become over the span of four seasons, the tastes that have changed and the things we’ve accomplished, this proverbial turning point provides an opportunity to take stock.

It’s this reason why wardrobe clean-outs and style overhauls tend to happen around this time of year. We consider what we wore, what we avoided and how we want to present ourselves moving forward. So, to make this exercise as productive as possible, we here at Who What Wear UK have taken it upon ourselves to round up the outdated shoe trends for 2026.

Ask anyone with taste, and they’ll tell you the most effective way to inject spice or elevate a tired ensemble is through shoes. Switching up casual ballet flats for a pair of structured loafers, for instance, can take a silhouette from effortlessly chic to impeccably polished. Adding a delicate heel to a look you’d only ever wear trainers with will completely overhaul the entire feeling of the outfit.

Given that the practice of rejuvenating one’s sense of style can be as simple as reorganising how you hang your clothing or completely indexing the pieces you no longer love and rehoming them, it’s also important to know what design elements experts, like us, are advising could read as dated throughout 2026 and beyond.

If you were to look at 2025 from a fashion perspective, a lot of novel shoe trends emerged. On the minimalistic and sophisticated side, The Row’s Dune flip-flops, Ancient Greek Sandals’ jelly sandals and the retro-inspired Dries Van Noten suede trainer. Still, more outlandish pieces like the Isabel Marant wedge trainers, Vibram’s polarising five-finger shoes and the Puma Speedcat Sneakerina reared their heads.

The virality of these controversial shapes certainly date them, but it doesn’t mean that they’re antiquated as soon as the clock strikes midnight on December 31. In saying this, there are some shoe trends that could be retired in 2026. (At least for the sake of disappearing before making a comeback.)

Now, if these are styles that you wear regularly and love completely, there’s certainly no need to part ways with them. But, if you’re in the market for updating your shoe arsenal, these are subtle switches you can make to make your rotation feel more on trend. So, with that in mind, keep scrolling below for the outdated shoe trends of 2026 and the styles fashion insiders are wearing instead.

5 Shoe Trends That Feel Dated in 2026

1. Passing On: Boat Shoes

Wearing Instead: Derbies

Style Notes: After stomping down Miu Miu’s sleazy collegiate-inspired spring/summer 2024 runway, boat shoes emerged as the antithesis to the sort of viral chunky loafer pioneered by its sister brand, Prada. However, after a year of everyone dressing like the Sag Harbour set in white Bermuda shorts and striped rugby jumpers, an even more preppier and refined shoe has come to take its place in 2026. Enter: Derbies. Propelled into the mainstream by Michael Ryder’s debut Spring 2026 collection for Celine, the streamlined shoe offers a more polished finish to cigarette trousers, oversized blazers and silk scarves. Part Fred Astaire. Part French girl. Entirely chic.

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2. Passing On: Gum-Sole Trainer

Wearing Instead: Low-Profile Trainers

Style Notes: If 2026 is making a case for anything, it’s that it’s time to park your gum sole trainers. It’s no overstatement to say that the past few years have been a period of Adidas Samba supremacy, with the milky-brown tinted edge and signature three stripes spotted on the feet of the most prolific tastemakers the world over. Whilst 2025 introduced some new styles to contend with this reign, the most notable being the Onitsuka Tiger and Puma Speedcat, 2026 is compelling us to eschew this motif altogether. Indeed, the most prolific dressers have started gravitating towards trainers that are streamlined, slim-cut and altogether lacking a discernible sole. Unsure where to start? Reach for the best-selling designer iteration from Dries Van Noten or, if your loyalty remains to the German sportswear conglomerate, the Adidas Tokyo or Taekwondo.

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3. Passing On: Razor Sharp Heels

Wearing Instead: Curved and Cone Heels

Style Notes: Courtesy of the likes of Tory Burch, Jacquemus and fashion trend commentator Mandy Lee (@oldloserinbrooklyn), 2025 has certainly been a place for “freaky shoes”. These are shapes that feature slits that reveal a peek of your foot in unexpected places or experimental shapes, studs or accessories that certainly don’t adhere to conventional norms. Yet, where the industry goes, the mainstream follows. One of the more palatable tropes to arise from this shift towards unorthodox design elements is curved heels. Replacing the razor-sharp styles we once gravitated towards, the most refined pair of heels you can wear in 2026 is one that features either a cone, pinched or arched point. Novel, yes. But also extremely comfortable, which is never something to look down your nose at.

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4. Passing On: Pointed-Toe Boots

Wearing Instead: Sock Boots

Style Notes: Also along these lines are the retiring of pointed-toe boots. Where pointed-toe boots were once unavoidable, with styles cropping up everywhere from Saint Laurent to Loeffler Randall, the more prominent boot brands are shifting towards a more casual and languid shape. It’s true, sock boots are reigning supreme, with flat, taut and ankle-cut shapes superseding this tapered style. Seen everywhere from Jennifer Lawrence’s off-duty wardrobe to the new collections of Toteme and Dear Frances, flat sock boots bridge the gap between loafers, ballet flats and boots, offering comfort and support in a slicker format.

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5. Passing On: Bow-Front Ballet Flats

Wearing Instead: Glove-Fit Ballet Flats

Style Notes: The fifth and final outdated shoe trend is the bow-front ballet flat. With the beloved 2010s shape stepping back onto the scene at the start of the decade after Miuccia Prada revealed her en pointe satin style, it almost feels like we’ve finally reached fatigue for the shoe. It’s true, we’ve seen every iteration come and go, from strappy pairs in a jacquard suede à la Gucci’s viral style to the sequin-adorned mesh versions from Le Monde Beryl. Now, in 2026, things are being stripped back to basics. No frills, no decorations, just a pure and simple slip-on. This glove-fit style is something Australian-based footwear brand Essen does incredibly well. Focusing on form and fabric, the label’s styles are often glossy, squared around the front and tight around the ankle, providing a foundation for any well-edited footwear wardrobe. Make note of Essen’s collaborations with romantic New Zealand womenswear designer Maggie Marilyn, British high-street titan Whistles and Brisbane-based creative Jasmine Dowling, too.

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At Who What Wear UK, fashion is our speciality. Our editors have years of industry experience, from reporting on seasonal fashion trends seen at international fashion weeks to working with some of the most recognisable names in fashion. Every item we recommend is carefully selected based on current trends, quality and real-world wearability.
We regularly try on pieces ourselves—everything from best-selling jeans to designer shoes—and speak to external experts and fashion insiders, staying closely connected to what our readers are searching for. Our advice is grounded in expertise, and each and every buy we feature has to meet our exceptional taste standards—so you can feel confident in every recommendation.