Summer 2025 truly is the perfect moment to embrace the frenzy for ballet flats, the footwear style that’s both effortless and communicates instant chic. As the weather draws you outdoors and kids free from school can result in days of non-stop errands, it’s never a better time to reach for the shoe that adds instant polish while also feeling comfortable in scenarios ranging from brunch with friends to cheering from the sidelines during your son or daughter’s soccer game. 

As a bonus, ballet flats and slippers — and their on-trend cousin, the sneakerina — come with a glamorous pedigree that extends beyond their origins in dance, which date to the 18^th century. In the 1950s, it was Hollywood’s style icons who popularized ballet flats as fashionable footwear: Audrey Hepburn wore them in 1957’s Funny Face, while the year before, Brigitte Bardot epitomized French chic in …And God Created Woman, and both Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly were photographed wearing the style in their off-set hours. These days, street-style images reveal that everyone from Kaia Gerber to Gigi Hadid, Jennifer Lawrence and Zendaya have chosen the ballet flat as their go-to shoe. 

The season’s hottest ballet flats are also available in must-have designs that blend the shoe’s innate simplicity with heritage-influenced details from coveted fashion brands — and they’re all available at the chic boutiques of South Coast Plaza. 

Maison Margiela