And Now: The 2026 Way to Wear Ballet Flats

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a woman wears ballet flats with jeans
(Image credit: Getty Images)
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Let me get this out of the way: There's no wrong way to wear ballet flats. I fully encourage you to style them in any manner you please. However, if you could use some pointers on how to make the classic shoes look fully up to date in 2026, you've come to the right place. The versatile flat shoes have never gone out of style in decades, but women's styling choices have certainly evolved. If you're anything like me, you might associate ballet flats with twee, schoolgirl-inspired outfits, but there are so many other options.

After sifting through hundreds of street style images of people wearing ballet flats, I noticed a few themes. For starters, women didn't seem to wear the shoes with baggy trousers, which are by far the most popular style of pants right now. Instead, they teamed the flats with A-line skirts, Bermuda shorts, and other pieces. Scroll down to see what I mean.

1. With a Full Skirt and a Polka-Dot Jacket

a woman wears ballet flats

(Image credit: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)

a woman wears ballet flats

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2. With Socks and Bermuda Shorts

a woman wears ballet flats

(Image credit: Getty Images)

a woman wears ballet flats

(Image credit: Getty Images)

3. With Grungy Plaid

a woman wears plaid

(Image credit: Getty Images)

a woman wears plaid

(Image credit: Getty Images)
Erin Fitzpatrick
Erin Fitzpatrick
Associate Director, Fashion News

Erin got her start as a Who What Wear intern in 2011—back when the site only published a single story per day. (We have since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC and lives in Los Angeles. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2015, where she is now the Associate Director of Fashion News. From the Oscars to the Met Gala, she leads the site's entire red carpet coverage strategy. She specializes in celebrity and fashion news but also enjoys writing travel features and runway reports. She frequently contributes to WWW's social accounts and has a sizable following on her personal TikTok.