I’m Swapping My Ballet Flats for the Jazz Shoe Trend

I approached Michael Rider's debut collection prepared to decode his new vision for the house of Céline. Instead of studying the silhouettes, proportions, and overall direction, my eye went immediately to the models’ feet. Are those….jazz shoes? You know, the Capezios we wore in the ‘80s with stirrup leggings, possibly leg warmers, and a scrunchie full of permed hair perched atop our heads?

Normally, I prefer to sit with new runway ideas for a season or two before they earn a place in my wardrobe. But jazz shoes made sense to me immediately, and they’ve since become my most-reached-for shoe this fall, and soon enough (with the help of a cozy cashmere sock), winter.

For several years now, we’ve been entrenched in an era of ballet flats, Mary Janes, and glove flats on one hand, and low-profile sneakers—think Miu Miu baskets and Dries Van Noten marathon shoes—on the other. Jazz shoes feel like their inevitable synthesis (with a subtle hat tip to the derby). They offer the softness and classical restraint of a flat, paired with the pragmatism and full-foot coverage of a sneaker.

Consider all the cold-weather outfits you’d instinctively style with a ballet flat or Mary Jane, only to abandon them once you remember the top of your foot will be left entirely defenseless against the elements. And as a stylist, you’d be surprised by how many clients refuse to wear sneakers despite them being such a versatile styling tool. If this sounds like you, jazz shoes are the elegant workaround—and one of the quietest, cleverest shoe solutions on offer right now. Simply swap them in.

With my tendency towards oversized silhouettes on the body, the proportions of my outfits often demand weightlessness on my feet. White, in particular, is my go-to in winter months; it introduces much-needed lightness against the dark neutrals that dominate my wardrobe.

It also didn’t escape my attention that Céline styled jazz shoes with eveningwear—yet another use for the humble jazz shoe.

Whereas last year, I relied on a skin-bearing Mary Jane with a December party look (or worse, a strappy heel), this year I’ll be reaching for something far more practical.