Are Men Ready for Ballet Flats? Harry Styles Sparks a Menswear Trend
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Harry Styles’s ballet flats moment is raising one key question: will men actually adopt the look? What once seemed daring could be on the verge of becoming a real trend.
When Harry Styles stepped out at Los Angeles International Airport in a pair of sleek black ballet flats from Miu Miu, the internet immediately took notice. Traditionally marketed toward women, the flats looked intentionally delicate against his otherwise casual outfit, sparking conversation not only about his personal style but also about whether ballet flats could realistically become part of the modern menswear land. His airport look was just one in a series of moments that have positioned the singer at the forefront of evolving ideas about gender and fashion.
Styles has consistently reshaped expectations around masculinity through his clothing choices, embracing pieces once considered unconventional for men, such as pearls or flared silhouettes. At the 2026 Grammy Awards, he made another memorable statement by wearing mint green ballet-inspired flats from Dior with a custom ensemble while presenting the Album of the Year award. His refined and almost fragile footwear stood out in a setting where traditional dress shoes are the norm, reinforcing the idea that he is actively pushing menswear toward new expressive possibilities.
Whether the dainty footwear translates into mainstream menswear may ultimately depend on Styles’s cultural influence, which has proven significant before. His embrace of fluid dressing on stage and on red carpets has inspired a new generation of male pop artists who are increasingly comfortable blurring the lines of conventional costuming. Even fellow stars such as Bad Bunny have embraced ballet-inspired footwear on a major carpet, wearing strappy ballet flats at the Happy Gilmore 2 premiere last July, reinforcing that this aesthetic is catching on among influential figures.
Still, widespread adoption will depend on how designers reinterpret the silhouette for a broader audience. Ballet flats challenge long-standing perceptions of masculinity, especially outside major fashion capitals. Whether they become a lasting shift or remain defining moments, the appearance of ballet flats in men’s fashion signals that the boundaries of style continue to expand and that softness and fluidity are no longer off limits.
Miu Miu
Élan Bow Detail Leather Ballet Flats