It’s official: When given the choice between heels and flats, Zendaya will always go the stiletto-free route. Since the Louis Vuitton x Murakami campaign in March, the A-lister has stood strong in her pro-flats stance, swapping pumps for Maison Margiela Tabis, loafers, and the occasional sneaker.
On August 3, Zendaya debuted her newest Christian Louboutin So Kate substitute: ballet sneakers, one of summer’s biggest footwear fads co-signed by Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, and Ana de Armas. While on a walk with fiancé Tom Holland, the Challengers star was photographed by The Sun wearing $250 Lace-Up Sneakers from Ecco.
Designed by creative director Natacha Ramsay-Levi (the protégé of Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquière), Zendaya’s Biom C-Trails feature the rugged rubber treads of your favorite chunky sneakers. The leather uppers, however, channel ballerina’s pointe shoes with lace-up strings. Similar to Chloë Sevigny, a fellow Ecco enthusiast, Zendaya paired the Copenhagen Fashion Week-approved sneakers with slouchy crew-length socks.
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Zendaya swapped athleisure for elevated basics including a ballet slipper-pink sweater. Even though she’s in London, the A-lister sourced a New Yorker-beloved brand, The Row, for a $3,590 crewneck. It’s an anti-summer pick, sure, but one Marie Claire’s London-based digital director, Jenny Hollander endorses. “You’d never know it was August,” Hollander tells me over Slack. “It feels like October. Everyone’s already starting to dress for fall.”
Next, Zendaya sampled the Bermuda shorts trend with a pleated gray pair. The wide-leg hems stopped just below her knee, ensuring her Franken-shoes took center stage. Shockingly, she opted for minimal accessories—she didn’t even carry a tote. Zendaya’s only accessory? Her five-carat engagement ring (with a rumored $120,000 price tag).
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If you keep tabs on Lyst’s Index report, you know global searches for ballet sneakers rose 1,300% in Q1. Even now, in the thick of Q3, the hybrid shoes are still the talk of the town.
Zendaya’s Ecco pair is a fashion girl favorite, worn by Sevigny and Suki Waterhouse in recent months. With Zendaya’s approval, it’s bound to come back for a bigger street style encore.
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