Every Chic Person I Know Is Shopping for This Elegant Shoe Trend Right Now

A collage featuring a mix of runway and Instagram imagery of the court shoe trend.
(Image credit: @neelam.ahooja; @nlmarilyn; The Row; Carven; @jastookes)

Five years ago, had you brought me a pair of shoes that would, today, fit into the court-shoe footwear trend, I probably would have rolled my eyes before referencing the neverending supply of taupe-colored Naturalizers at my local Housing Works. If I hadn't seen the swan-like versions popping up in 2024, maybe I'd be reacting the same way right now. But I have—thanks to brands like The Row and Toteme—which is exactly why my perspective on the pragmatic, almond- and pointed-toe pumps and flats that fall under the court-shoe category has shifted so significantly.

Suddenly, court shoes are all I want to wear on my feet (no matter how often my mom tries to tell me that they look like shoes Ms. Geist would wear before her Clueless makeover). And I'm not the only one. All across fashion, the industry's best-dressed personalities are ditching their classic ballet flats, platforms, and super-high heels for the chic-yet-practical appeal of the court shoe, a comfortable and refined silhouette with an approachable heel, minimalist design, and versatile look that allows them to work with all of today's top ready-to-wear trends, from column skirts and shift dresses to vintage denim and nipped-in blazers.

Scroll down to find out everything you need to know about court shoes ahead of spring when I foresee an especially major spike in popularity for the already-buzzy trend.

The Row F/W 23 look featuring an embroidered shift dress with black gloves and black court shoes.

(Image credit: The Row)

The court-shoe trend began with The Row's F/W 23 collection, which debuted last year in February and showcased the brand's now-viral (and sold out almost everywhere) Almond Pump for the first time. Fit with an angled 50-millimeter heel, a rounded almond toe shape, and a curved vamp, the minimalist style quickly found success within The Row's loyal customer base, with both the onyx and soft gray colorways selling at a rapid rate. (I'd click through ASAP to see if your size happens to still be in stock—if not, never fear. I'm sharing lots of alternatives to The Row's Almond Pump below, including some secretly affordable options.)

Shop The Row's Almond Pump

Two pairs of The Row almond-toe pumps.

(Image credit: @hoskelsa)

In the year since The Row's Almond Pump first debuted, several highly influential celebs have embraced the court shoe, including Elsa Hosk, Kendall Jenner, Zoë Kravitz, and Alexa Chung, as well as content creators such as Neelam Ahooja, Débora Rosa, and Anouk Yve. As a result, similar styles by The Row and other brands have taken off, building out the court-shoe trend and turning it into a fashion-wide phenomenon.

Shop More Court Shoes

@nlmarilyn wearing a brown blazer, stirrup leggings, and black court shoes.

(Image credit: @nlmarilyn)

Back in the day, this style of shoe tended to look stuffy or boring, but this look by London-based content creator Marilyn Nwawulor-Kazemaks proves that the modernized version doesn't. Here, she styled a slingback version with stirrup leggings, an oversize brown blazer, and The Row's lauded Margaux bag.

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A pair of tortoiseshell Rebecca court shoes from Loro Piana.

(Image credit: @jastookes)

Loro Piana's now almost entirely sold-out Rebecca flats are another extremely popular option for anyone wanting to check off the court-shoe trend in a luxury fashion. Though this tortoiseshell version from the F/W 24 collection won't be stocked for a little while longer, there are still a few sizes in black available on the World Wide Web (and yes, I linked them below, plus some alternate styles if your size is sold out).

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Carven model at the F/W24 show wearing a white blouse, black skirt, and black almond-toe pumps.

(Image credit: Carven)

Almond-toe styles aren't the only shoes that fit into this trend. Carven's F/W 24 footwear offering proved that pointy alternatives give off the same vibe, whether they're flat like the ones that can currently be purchased from Toteme and H&M, or have a practical heel, like the below pair from Neous.

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@neelam.ahooja wearing a white shirt, Levi's jeans, and The Row almond-toe court shoes.

(Image credit: @neelam.ahooja)

Though the court-shoe look has long been associated with work settings, The Row collector Neelam Gill proves with this look that modernized alternatives aren't limited to the hours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Throw on a pair with great vintage Levi's and a billowy button-down shirt this spring and watch how good they look.

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Jasmine Tookes's feet up in a car wearing Loro Piana court shoes.

(Image credit: @jastookes)

If Jasmine Tookes wears something, you know it's good. Sure, hers might be pricey, but her taste is impeccable and always trustworthy. So when she donned these white Loro Piana flats during fashion month, everyone I know got busy starting a piggy bank to buy their own pair.

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This post was published at an earlier date and has since been updated.

Senior Fashion Editor

Eliza Huber is a New York City–based fashion editor who specializes in trend reporting, brand discovery, and celebrity style. She joined Who What Wear in 2021 after almost four years on the fashion editorial team at Refinery29, the job she took after graduating with a marketing degree from the University of Iowa. She has since launched two monthly columns, Let's Get a Room and Ways to Wear; profiled the likes of Dakota Fanning, Diane Kruger, Katie Holmes, and Sabrina Carpenter for WWW's monthly cover features; and reported on everything from the relationship between Formula One and fashion to the top trends from fashion month, season after season. Eliza now lives on the Upper West Side and spends her free time researching F1 fashion imagery for her side Instagram accounts @thepinnacleoffashion and @f1paddockfits, running in Central Park, and scouring eBay for '90s Prada and '80s Yves Saint Laurent.