French Girls at Paris Fashion Week Are Dominating Ballet Flats Fall

For wannabe French girls like me, kicking off another Ballet Flats Fall at Paris Fashion Week is the ultimate end goal. What I wouldn’t give to stuff my suitcases with high-vamp flats, Mary Janes, and every stiletto-free footwear trend in between, and sprint (without a blister in sight) from one Spring/Summer 2027 show to another. With Fashion Month winding down, I’ll have to wait to join fellow pro-flats people in France, but it would be a shame not to source the street style circuit for It-shoe inspiration anyway—and turn my Midwestern neck of the woods into a mini Paris.

From my POV, only a small percentage of showgoers risk it all in stilettos at Paris Fashion Week. That said, French girls and New Yorkers have more in common than meets the eye: When it comes to shoes, the style setters in both cities put comfort on the same pedestal as trending silhouettes and shades. Case in point: high-vamp flats.

After earning endorsements from Dakota Johnson, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, and more, flats with loafer-looking toe boxes took over the post-show scene in Paris. French girls seemingly prefer the style in universal neutrals, a penchant that extends to their everyday basics, too. One Parisian, however, sampled high-vamp styling with statement white socks, which made their little black Dior dress more laid-back.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Speaking of unconventional vamps, shoes with split-toe, Maison Margiela Tabi-type boxes gave straightforward Fashion Week outfits the casually cool treatment. By wearing them with leather jackets and T-shirts, the sole-dividing shoes signaled to other showgoers (and me, from afar) that freaky footwear can be styled as simply as basic ballerinas. They’ll make waves whether they’re worn by a minimalist or a maximalist—just look at the stir that Zendaya’s Maison Margiela Tabi Flats caused in NYC this summer.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Now, split-toe shoes aren’t for everybody, even in a daring fashion destination like Paris. So, patterned flats—much like printed purses—joined a wide variety of Fashion Week wardrobes. For instance, sporty showgoers played with pops of snakeskin and plaid. That way, their oversized polo shirts, raglan tees, and Bermuda shorts felt more intentionally styled—and front-row worthy. Meanwhile, leopard-print Mary Janes finished another guest’s boho-chic co-ord (featuring a leather jacket and ruffled, pale pink trousers) with a timeless plot twist.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Yes, it’s October, but that’s not to say summer’s favorite flats are already hibernating for the winter. Surprisingly, mesh flats were booked and busy this Fashion Week. So much so, a pedicure-revealing pair from Miu Miu finished Gigi Hadid’s post-show button-down-and-jeans outfit. Perhaps the Parisian crowd—and their celebrity-beloved Alaïa ballerinas—influenced the supermodel to swap opaque options for a shocking pop of sheerness. That’s not to say Mary Janes were the only see-through shoes at Fashion Week: One Parisian wore an aqua blue button-down, a raspberry red cargo vest, and glittery mesh flats that looked more like socks than an actual footwear design.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Perhaps the most popular flats migrated a major New York Fashion Week color trend to Paris. Back in Manhattan, tomato red appeared on trousers (worn by Hadid at Tommy Hilfiger, no less), cardigans, pencil skirts, and military jackets. For the final week of Fashion Month, flats of all shades and silhouettes were doused in the can’t-miss color. That includes Mary Janes (one showgoer shade-matched their single-strap shoes to a top-handle tote), high-vamp ballerinas, and even Chanel cap-toe flats in an ombré leopard-print combination.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

And just like that, I’m (metaphorically) walking away from Paris Fashion Week with an entire Fashion Month’s worth of ballet flats fashion inspiration. So much so, my brain is overflowing with outfit ideas. Between these It shoes and the French-girl denim at Fashion Week, I’m hoping a stranger mistakes me for a Parisian this fall.