Daniele Venturelli
And it’s coming from Prada’s FW23 collection.
When it comes to the fashion crowd’s favorite ballerina flats, there are usually several pairs jostling for first position. There are the classics, like Chanel’s dainty two-tone pumps, worn by everyone from Jane Birkin to the Duchess of Sussex to Angelina Jolie in her Jo Stockton-inspired British Vogue cover story. Then there’s the cool-girl flat of choice: Chloë Sevigny’s favorite split-toe Tabi by Margiela. And most recently, the satin pairs that have found their way from Miu Miu’s fall-winter 2022 runway onto the feet of Bella Hadid, Rosalía and at least three Vogue editors.
Now, those omnipresent Miu Miu pumps could be padding their way silently to the back of the studio, after Prada unveiled an fall-winter 2023 collection at Milan Fashion Week that incorporated a fresh—and captivating—take on the simple flat. Miuccia wove her magic once again (with help from her co-creative director at Prada, Raf Simons), this time with a pair of pointed white flats with delicate, origami-esque details that were styled with everything from pillowy miniskirts to cigarette pants to shirt dresses on the runway.
Simultaneously dainty and strict, the Prada flats (which also appeared in black and pink), were part of a compelling collection that drew on the uniforms of the caring professions, like nurses. Though the shoes are unlikely to lend themselves well to a 12-hour shift on a hospital ward, expect to see them on front rows and at fashion parties before too long, as high-profile fans of a fancy flat expand their collections.
“I reach for the ballet slippers whenever I want to ‘sweeten’ a maxi cargo skirt or an enormous leather bomber,” Vogue’s Julia Hobbs previously explained of the appeal of her Miu Miu pair, while beauty editor Tish Weinstock was so persuaded by the practicality of the pump she wore them on her wedding day. Perhaps Prada’s new offering will tempt even Jennifer Lawrence, die-hard The Row fan and New York’s foremost anti-heel influencer, out of the Olsen sisters’ Ozzy slippers?
Shop some of Vogue’s favourite flats below.
This article was originally published on British Vogue.
