Charlize Theron Awakens Her Inner Dancer With the Spring 2026 Jazz Shoe Trend

She twirled from one press tour event to another in Bottega Veneta's take.

Charlize Theron wore Spring 2026's jazz shoe trend on her press tour in NYC
(Image credit: Getty Images)

In an interview with The New York Times last week, Charlize Theron refuted Timothée Chalamet's claim that ballet is a struggling art form. By April 22, she turned her pro-dance words into action by twirling through her Apex press tour in Spring 2026's jazz shoes trend.

Theron originally moved to New York City to be a ballet dancer, so it's only right she channeled that side on The TODAY Show. Her longtime stylist, Leslie Framer, traded the morning's mesh Alaïa pumps for stark white, fresh-from-jazz-class derby shoes. The Bottega Veneta Fall 2026 pair added monochrome shoelaces to the elongated, square-toe uppers of high-vamp flats. That way, the soft, sole-cradling flats could've gone straight from her TV interview to a dance rehearsal (if she had one).

Charlize Theron wore Spring 2026's jazz shoe trend on her press tour in NYC

Charlize Theron pirouetted onto The TODAY Show in the jazz shoes trend.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Theron's lace-up derbies could've been plucked from a ballerina's dance bag, but the rest of her outfit felt rehearsal-ready, too. First, the Oscar winner stacked a white bralette beneath an oversize, semi-sheer long-sleeve. Together, the pieces appeared lightweight enough for a dancer to wear them during warm ups.

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The top's elongated hem covered the waistline of her asymmetrical tutu-adjacent mini skirt. Distressed tiers gave Theron the look of the white swan in Swan Lake after a long day of pas de deux practicing. For her grand finale, the actor swapped Bottega Veneta's beanie for yellow gold hoop earrings and a chocolate brown Intrecciato hobo bag.

A model wore Charlize Theron's jazz shoes on the Bottega Veneta Fall 2026 runway

See Theron's jazz shoes on the Bottega Veneta runway.

(Image credit: Launchmetrics)

Similar styles from Dries Van Noten, Ralph Lauren, Jil Sander, and Tibi shared the Spring 2026 stage months before Chalamet's opinion went viral. Now, Theron is using the silhouette to get her rebuttal back to Chalamet: "That was a very reckless comment on an art form, two art forms, that we need to lift up constantly because, yes, they do have a hard time," Theron told The New York Times. "Dance is probably one of the hardest things I ever did. Dancers are superheroes. What they put their bodies through in complete silence.”

Celebrities have yet to join the jazz shoes corps en masse, but fashion insiders like Style At Large contributor Irene Kim are making the trend their "most-reached-for shoe." See? You don't have to be a ballerina-turned-Oscar winner to sample jazz shoes. All you need is an appreciation for the arts, and the fashion trends they inspire.

Shop the Jazz Shoe Trend Inspired by Charlize Theron

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Meguire Hennes
Staff Writer, Fashion

Meguire Hennes is the fashion staff writer at Marie Claire, where she breaks down the celebrity looks living rent-free in her head (and yours). Whether a star is walking the red carpet or posing on Instagram, Meguire will tell you who they're wearing and why. When she's not gushing about A-listers from J.Law to Rihanna, Meguire also covers breaking industry news.

Previously, Meguire was the fashion news writer at The Zoe Report. She received a bachelor's degree in fashion studies at Montclair State University, and has freelanced at Bustle, Women's Health, Well+Good, and more. You can find her words across the fashion, beauty, health, and wellness verticals, because her Libra moon wouldn't let her settle on one beat. Follow her on Instagram for BTS moments from her Marie Claire era.