It's Here: 2025's Most (Unexpectedly) Elegant Flat-Shoe Trend
At Who What Wear, we constantly dissect street style snaps for the latest trends. Still, there's another secret weapon in our forecasting arsenal: the new arrivals sections of our favorite retailers. Recently, we spotted a rising star in the shoe department—grommet-embellished flats—making waves across sites like Net-a-Porter, Zara, Mango, and Nordstrom.
What makes this trend so surprising but intriguing? Grommets were once a humble tool for securing laces, but they have now evolved into a bold design statement. They've also long been associated with utilitarian and industrial aesthetics—think grunge and punk—and are being reinvented as high-fashion accents. Alaïa is one label widely recognized for pioneering this shift. In its F/W 25 collection, it showcased grommet-adorned boots, and today, under current creative director Pieter Mulier, it has injected the detail into the brand’s coveted ballet flats.
It’s clear that Alaïa sparked a movement. Now, designers like Toteme, Coach, Tory Burch, and Le Monde Beryl are adding their spin to this unexpected but undeniably chic trend, adorning everything from slingbacks to Mary Janes. If you're ready to add this hot trend to your rotation, keep scrolling for our pick of the best grommet-embellished flats.
Shop the best grommet-embellished shoes:
Influencer Anouk Yve told Who What Wear's fashion editor Sierra Mayhew that these look "so good under a pair of straight jeans, a big white shirt, and a trench coat."
It girls can't stop wearing V-cut flats.
Shop more new chic flats
Jelly sandals are back and better than ever.
These look just like the $300 designer flats I've been eyeing.
Nikki Chwatt is an associate fashion editor based in New York City. She joined Who What Wear in 2024 after writing fashion, beauty, and lifestyle content for WWD, Well+Good, Editorialist, and more. With a passion for personal style and the creativity that comes with it, one of Chwatt's goals is to help others understand that there is no such thing as a “good” or “bad” style; it’s just about putting an outfit together that makes you feel confident in yourself. When she's not writing, you can find her taking a Pilates class, reading a powerful romance novel, or exploring a new wellness spot in Manhattan.
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