You have probably noticed it already – the sneakers creeping back into outfits that, a couple of years ago, would have demanded a heel. The sleek, almost vintage-looking trainers showing up beneath flowing dresses, tailored trousers, and red-carpet-adjacent ensembles. It feels like a shift, and yet it also feels oddly familiar. If you have been wondering whether this quieter, slimmer sneaker moment is actually building into something bigger, one recent New York City sighting might settle the question for you. Because when the star of a highly anticipated sequel steps out in zebra-print kicks instead of stilettos, the message is hard to miss.
The return of animal print footwear – and why it matters now
Animal print footwear has resurfaced in 2026 across heels, boots, and flats. The trend has been picking up speed through spring, with several high-profile names leaning into it from different style angles. Lori Harvey wore Alaïa’s leopard haircalf Criss-Cross ballet flats in Los Angeles last month, bringing the pattern into a minimalist, flat silhouette. Just a few weeks later in New York, Storm Reid opted for Le Silla’s leopard-print Clivage slingbacks, taking the same motif into a dressier lane.
So leopard spots and tiger stripes have dominated much of this particular trend. But what happens when someone pulls the pattern into a category we have not seen it occupy as often? That is exactly the space Anne Hathaway stepped into on Friday while promoting The Devil Wears Prada 2 in New York City.
Hathaway traded her string of press tour heels for a flatter, faster silhouette – zebra print Adidas Tokyo sneakers. Where others have gone the ballet flat or slingback route, she brought that same animal print direction into a slimmer retro sneaker category, one less common than the leopard and tiger prints that have led the conversation so far. It is a subtle but significant distinction, suggesting the trend still has room to evolve.
Breaking down the sneakers and the full look
Hathaway’s pair came from Adidas’ Tokyo line in an off-white and core black color mix, built on the brand’s slim retro runner shape. A black-and-cream zebra pattern covered the pony hair upper, while the brand’s signature Three Stripes cut across each side. Black laces, a padded collar, a logo tongue patch, and a dark rubber sole kept the finish grounded and cohesive.
What makes this particular sneaker feel current rather than throwback-for-the-sake-of-it is its proportions. The low-profile build and elongated toe shape put the style closer to the current wave of archival-inspired trainers – those slim, heritage-referencing silhouettes drawn from brand archives – than the bulkier sneaker market that dominated earlier in the decade. It is a shoe that looks purposeful rather than loud.
The rest of the outfit reinforced that balance. The Mother Mary star paired the sneakers with a sleeveless dark brown, almost purple dress in a fluid mixed-fabric construction. The look featured a gathered neckline at the collarbone, layered asymmetric skirt panels, and sheer banding near the hem, along with utility-style flap pockets at the hip. Hathaway finished the look with Bvlgari sunglasses and a black Hermès Togo Birkin. The combination of a relaxed, richly textured dress with a sporty low-profile sneaker is the kind of pairing that reads effortless but is clearly quite deliberate.
Why we will be watching her style all year
This single outing is notable on its own, but it also sits within a much larger context. With Mother Mary now in theaters and The Devil Wears Prada 2, The Odyssey, Flowervale Street, and Verity still ahead, Hathaway is likely to have many more closely watched off-duty style stops this year. That volume of press commitments and premieres means a sustained run of public appearances – each one an opportunity to either double down on a trend or pivot entirely.
For those of us tracking where footwear is headed, that kind of visibility matters. When someone with Hathaway’s platform chooses a retro-cut sneaker over a heel during a major film promotion, it signals something about comfort, taste, and where the broader style conversation is moving. And the fact that she chose zebra print specifically – rather than the leopard or tiger patterns already well-established in this cycle – hints at an expanding palette within the animal print footwear story.
The bottom line
Animal print shoes are not just back; they are branching out into silhouettes we did not expect. Hathaway’s zebra-print Adidas Tokyo sneakers prove that the trend does not belong exclusively to heels, ballet flats, or slingbacks. The slim, archival-inspired trainer is now part of the conversation too. If you have been looking for permission to pair a heritage sneaker with something dressier and bolder, consider it officially granted.
