As we near the second half of 2024, the most pertinent fashion trend to survive the rinse cycle of niche TikTok micro-trends and celebrity dressing endorsements and still possess a street style relevance is the humble ballet flat.
Yet, with this quaint silhouette rendered in nearly every variation imaginable (Pastel satin from Miu Miu! Candy coloured jelly sandals from The Row! Nude mesh from Sandy Liang! Leather from Tory Burch! Velvet Rockstuds from Valentino! Ballet sneakers from Simone Rocha!) designers are working overtime to concoct the next viral iteration to pique our interests—and our wallets.
As everyone joins in on this race, Pieter Mulier and the cobblers in Alaïa’s atelier have opted to rewrite the rules altogether. Who can beat you at your game when you’re competing against yourself? Entering a literal elevated version of their beloved mesh fishnet ballerina into the zeitgeist, the French luxuriate soft-launched a heeled version of the black lattice style during Margot Robbie’s latest outing.
It’s like a totally important moment in fashion history. (See the look, here).
The pregnant actress—who officially debuted her baby bump in a grommet polka dot dress from the Maison’s Fall/Winter 2024 collection at Wimbledon—was pictured out in London wearing the ultimate “wrong shoe”. (For the uninitiated, this styling choice is a theory that pairing ensembles with unexpected footwear is an easy and cost-effective way to bring contrast and dimension into a wardrobe that feels a little trite and in need of a refresh.)
For the evening, Robbie wore pieces inspired by the Spring/Summer 2024 collection presented on the Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor footbridge spanning over the Seine. Her look consisted of a lapelless black coat featuring lines of Coraline-esque buttons, a drop waist dress and boned gold bangles. The controversial shoes tied the look together, adding height through the platform and a sensual date night element through the exposed peep toe.
Her second Alaïa moment during her nascent maternity style journey is a fitting offering considering new data provided by e-commerce aggregator Lyst charted that searches for dedicated maternity clothing are dropping 45% year-on-year. Who needs elasticated waistbands and lifeless shawls when you have this? New tricks for old players, indeed.
