Men in Ballet Flats? Harry Styles Says Yes
There’s nothing Harry Styles loves more right now than a cheeky, decidedly dainty little shoe. After bringing delicate footwear to the Grammy stage, the singer has now made a persuasive case for the male ballerina flat as an airport essential.
Touching down at LAX over the weekend, Styles proved the prim silhouette can hold its own in transit. He wore Miu Miu’s Élan ballet flats, a style officially marketed to women but effortlessly co-opted here for the boys. Crafted in supple nappa leather, the pair features a rounded, coquette toe and whisper-thin bows at the vamp. He styled them with white tube socks, nodding to the It-girl penny-loafer-and-sock craze, while the rest of the look grounded the shoes in his signature off-duty ease.
It’s easy to see why ballerina shoes are appealing to Styles, especially in a travel setting. They carry the same comfort and slip-on ease as Birkenstocks or even an orthopedic sneaker, but without all the added volume on the sides. Under his bootcut jeans, they created an almost subversive effect.
Now, whether the dainty footwear translates into mainstream menswear? Styles’s track record bodes well. During the press tour for his album Fine Line in 2019, the singer popularized pearl necklaces for men, exploding the once-ladylike accessory’s popularity across genders. Even on the celebrity front, it’s easy to see the influence of Styles’s stage style. His fearless embrace of fluid dressing has spawned a new generation of male pop singers eager to blur the lines of traditional costuming.
Soon enough, Styles may very well swap the resale sneaker boom for a burgeoning market of ballerina flats.
