This Twist on the High-Vamp Flats Trend Is Spring's Most Elegant Airport Shoe, According to Sarah Pidgeon

Foot-baring footwear is popping up in gates far and wide.

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Sarah Pidgeon's jeans outfit proved the high-vamp flats trend is airport friendly
(Image credit: Backgrid)

I've been reconsidering my "no skin," sneakers-only approach to airport dressing ever since senior fashion news editor Halie LeSavage flew to Paris in the mesh ballet flats trend. On April 20, Sarah Pidgeon sealed the deal by putting a happy medium shoe trend on my travel radar: high-vamp flats.

Paparazzi spotted the Love Story alum en route to film her next project, Honeymoon Harry. One snap, and it's clear Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's minimalism had a lasting impact on her personal style. She trekked through Australia's Gold Coast Airport in black ballet flats, featuring elongated, loafer-adjacent uppers and subtly squared toes. After scanning them like a TSA agent, I noticed buckled straps beneath her jeans' extra-long hems, designating them high-vamp Mary Janes.

Sarah Pidgeon's jeans outfit proved the high-vamp flats trend is airport friendly

Sarah Pidgeon was spotted pre-flight in high-vamp Mary Janes.

(Image credit: Backgrid)

Meanwhile, Pidgeon might've boarded her flight undetected if it wasn't for her strawberry red cardigan. She's the latest fashion girl to sample the Spring 2026 color trend, following Katie Holmes and Jennifer Lawrence. Much like Holmes last week, Pidgeon's cropped white T-shirt let the fresh-from-the-garden shade shine.

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Fans know from her Paris Fashion Week style streak that Pidgeon's denim collection is top-tier. This time, she strolled past indigo and white jeans for a low-rise, light-wash pair with hems long enough to hide her high-vamp flats.

To finish, she sourced her PFW run again for the Balenciaga Rodeo Bag, which comes highly recommended by fashion's most frequent flyers. ("It has this really chic, understated look while still feeling like a practical travel bag," content creator Ben Taylor told fashion features editor Emma Childs last month.) The medium, $4,750 Rodeo carried her passport, her Honeymoon Harry script, and more with ease.

Sock-less shoe trends are dominating boarding groups from here to Australia this spring. So far, The Row's slipper-like loafers joined Zendaya on her flight out of JFK; Lawrence debuted Tory Burch's Mary Jane sneakers outside the same security line; and Robbie wore Alaïa's mesh ballet flats to touch down in Sydney.

This series reminds me of last summer, when Zoë Kravitz and Lawrence influenced New Yorkers to wear flip-flops around the city. I swore I'd never follow suit, but here I am a year later, still walking my dog in thong sandals. If I can break that cardinal rule, who's to say I can't board my next flight in high-vamp flats?

Shop the High-Vamp Flats Trend Inspired by Sarah Pidgeon

Meguire Hennes
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.