Mary Jane Flats Are Fashion's Favorite It-Girl Shoe Trend

There is only one tried and true way to test drive a shoe trend: you take it out into the real world and put some mileage on it. So, when fashion journalist Tasnim Ahmed splurged on The Row's Ava flats—a pair of front-strapped leather slippers that recently kick-started a Mary Jane flats trend and, consequently, became catnip for the style set—she was eager to take them out for a spin.

To her utmost surprise, Ahmed was able to hit the ground running in her brand-new $820 designer shoes. "There was no break-in period for me [with the Ava Mary Jane flats]," the author of the fashion newsletter Journal says over email. "I've walked miles across different cities through different seasons all in my Mary Jane flats"—across downtown New York, traipsing through Paris, and maneuvering on Milan's cobblestone streets. Ahmed now wears The Row's Ava Mary Jane ballet flats "around the clock until it becomes too cold to wear them with socks." They're "shoes that can get me through the day without wincing and limping, all while looking like the city is my runway," she says.

Ahmed’s experience of instant comfort with The Row’s Ava is common among those who own the flat footwear style. Alaïa’s ballet flats are cult favorites among fashion editors (Marie Claire’s style director Sara Holzman included) who sport them across the Fashion Month circuit. The buckle-strapped and studded slipper is easy to wear and makes an effortless statement. Meanwhile, Fashion TikTok has christened Rothy’s best-selling $160 Mary Jane ballet flats a footwear saving grace: “I can be on my feet for the next 12 hours [in Rothy’s Mary Janes] with a smile on my face,” one content creator raves in a viral video currently at six-point-three million views.

Angharad Jones, a fashion content creator and author of the style Substack The Jones Report, was convinced to try the Mary Jane flat trend solely due to its comfort. “I used to be a heels person, but as I’ve gotten older, my tolerance for aching feet has dwindled to almost zero. I longed for a flat shoe that would tick the ‘I’ve made an effort’ box and wasn’t my usual go-to loafers or sneakers. Mary Janes do that for me,” Jones says over email. “They're more sturdy, and that little strap across the top of the foot offers support and practicality so they won’t slip off at inopportune moments."

As Jones notes, what’s so great about the best Mary Jane flats is that they epitomize fashion and function. That crucial front strap offers security, strapping the top of your foot into the shoe like a seat belt, and a playful, distinctly girlish slant. “They’re not as twee as ballet flats or as heavy as a brogue or loafers—they’re a bit of a halfway point, which makes for added versatility in terms of styling,” says Ahmed. Jones agrees with the fashion journalist: “I have a black velvet pair from Zara that feels fancy enough for nicer occasions, and they look just as good with jeans and a T-shirt, too.”

There’s also some inherent nostalgia to the shoe, which dates back to an initial appearance in a 1902 ‘Buster Brown comic strip. “[Mary Janes have] been the preferred shoe of fashion freaks and darlings over the decades: Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton, and Jane Birkin in the '60s. Alexa Chung should be awarded for her service to Mary Janes through the aughts,” Ahmed says.

You probably have your own history with the silhouette, whether from wearing it as part of your primary school uniform or as an aspiring indie sleaze dresser during your high school years. Jones resonates particularly with the latter: “I wore flimsy silver Topshop ballet flats non-stop as a teen back in 2007 when Amy Winehouse and Kate Moss were my style icons. They were offered absolutely no support whatsoever. I loved them.”

But beyond feel-good familiarity or a throwback nod to the style icons of yesteryear, 2024’s best Mary Jane flats are a smart shoe that offers variety, styling versatility, and, crucially, comfort. “I’m sure nostalgia does play into [the trend] for a lot of people, but, personally, I love having a smart, closed-toe flat shoe that isn’t a loafer or sneaker. For me, that’s where their endurance of [Mary Jane flats] lies,” says Jones.

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