Worth It: Miu Miu's Ballet Flats

Welcome back to Worth It, our weekly seal of approval on noteworthy launches and bespoke collaborations in the worlds of beauty and fashion. If it's featured here, consider these investments worthwhile.

Among her many talents, Miu Miu's creative director Miuccia Prada is a master of the hard-to-achieve-yet-oft-attempted viral runway moment. See: the micro miniskirts of the fashion house's Spring/Summer 2022 collection, which ignited an impassioned discourse across the internet (and remains ongoing, by the way). Then, in its Fall/Winter 2022 show, Prada debuted the Miu Miu Ballet Flat. A sleek slipper with a Mary Jane-esque elastic strap across the top of each foot, the shoe had fashion girls  muttering to themselves "Not a want, but a need!" while frantically reconfiguring their credit card payment plan—myself very much included.

A quintessential example of 2022's "Balletcore" phenomenon (a trend that's exactly what it sounds like), Miu Miu's coquettish ballet flat became an instant standout of the season. But this is not the first time the Italian creative director has paid homage to the hardworking ballerina. For Spring/Summer 2016, Miu Miu unveiled leather ballet pumps adorned with chunky, grommet-punched straps and ribbons that criss-crossed around the wearer's ankles. However, while these preceding pairs felt bold and grunge-adjacent, Miu Miu's revisitation of the ballet flat this year comes across as more subtle and soft-spoken. Offered in satin or soft leather and in black, white, cherry red, baby blue, and dusty rose, these iterations are more gentle, delicate, and almost sentimental. 

A press statement from the Italian brand about the Fall/Winter 2022 collection reads, "youthful, dynamic, rebellious, and free, Miu Miu transgresses so [that] a power can be found in delicacy, a strength in tenderness, a wisdom in youth." This sense of childlike whimsy is a tangible element to the brand's ballet flat, as they're reminiscent of the shoes you'd wear as a young girl, running around the schoolyard during recess and playing tag with friends. But make no mistake—the Miu Miu Ballet Flat woman of 2022 is grown. She has the means for its luxurious $950 price tag and understands that, more so than any of the brand's previous sister styles, Miu Miu's  2022 Ballet Flats reflect a fundamental truth of the silhouette: Ballet flats transcend the fast-churning, tumultuous trend cycle because they're the epitome of a true wardrobe classic.

Find a few of Miu Miu's Ballet Flats to shop, below, but buyer beware: Due to the shoe's It status, they tend to sell out quickly, so you'll want to act fast if you'd like a pair for yourself. 

Shop Miu Miu's Ballet Flats