Navy Velvet Flats Replace Mesh, Elevating Spring Denim Looks

Mesh flats had their moment, but spring is already moving on to something softer, richer, and a little more polished. The new favorite is navy velvet flats, worn with relaxed, low-rise baggy jeans for a look that feels less costume-y than mesh and far easier to wear when the weather is indecisive. Flats are still the smart answer for transitional dressing because they give more coverage than sandals and feel lighter than boots, but the mood shift is the real story: this is a reset, not a replay.

Laura Harrier made that shift look almost effortless in New York City this week, stepping out with her longtime stylist Danielle Goldberg in low-rise, baggy jeans, a black tank top, a blue button-down shirt, and navy Venetian-style velvet slippers. She finished the look with a baseball cap and cat-eye sunglasses, which kept the outfit casual, but the shoes did the heavy lifting. Navy gave the denim a cleaner, more deliberate finish than black would have, and far more spring relevance than brown. The result was low-effort, but not low-impact.

That is why navy matters more than the silhouette alone. Velvet flattens the edge of baggy jeans, adding texture where mesh usually adds flash. It also nudges the whole outfit in a more directional, dressed-up direction without tipping into occasion wear. For readers who have been rotating black loafers and brown ballet flats for years, navy is the easy color pivot: familiar enough to feel wearable, sharper than neutral, and just unexpected enough to register.

The broader flat-shoe conversation is already moving in that direction. Glove ballerinas and ruched loafers are gaining ground, while mesh flats and espadrilles are sliding out of the center of the frame. That does not mean mesh is gone. It had a strong run in 2023 and 2024, especially after The Row and Alaïa helped popularize the look, and it still appears with denim, maxi skirts, and tailoring. But the newest flats are less about transparency and more about finish. Velvet, especially in navy, makes the point without shouting.

Harrier’s style influence helps explain why this feels bigger than one good outfit. Danielle Goldberg, whose client list also includes Ayo Edebiri, Greta Lee, Kaia Gerber, Olivia Rodrigo, and Saoirse Ronan, has helped shape a polished, model-off-duty vocabulary that fashion people actually copy. In that context, navy velvet flats look like the next logical move: a small swap that changes the whole temperature of spring denim.