Jazz shoes emerge as the new ballet-flat alternative at Celine

At Celine’s Spring 2026 runway, Michael Rider made a convincing case for the shoe that sits halfway between dance studio ease and country-club polish. Shown at the house’s headquarters at 16 Rue Vivienne in Paris during Paris Fashion Week in October 2025, the collection put jazz shoes into the kind of frame that makes fashion people pay attention: low to the ground, soft in spirit, and much less precious than a ballet flat.

WWD has already positioned the silhouette as the next footwear move to watch, with jazz shoes seen on the runway and poised to replace the ballerina flat in popularity. Harper’s Bazaar pushed the read even further, linking the appeal to oxford and derby silhouettes that give summer footwear a more refined, old-world finish. That is the whole point. Ballet flats can start to feel delicate, almost fussy. Loafers can tip heavy when the weather turns warm. Jazz shoes split the difference: they keep the line clean, but the attitude stays relaxed.

The shape also has real history behind it, which is why it lands with more credibility than a random runway gimmick. The Metropolitan Museum of Art notes that Claire McCardell worked with Capezio to adapt soft ballet slippers for streetwear, and Capezio says Salvatore Capezio became the official shoemaker for the Metropolitan Opera House in 1892 after his shop turned into a meeting place for dancers. BLOCH says its original split-sole jazz shoe was the first of its kind and “revolutionized the future” of flexible jazz-shoe design. That lineage matters. It explains why the modern version feels quietly aristocratic rather than costume-like.

The best versions read genuinely heritage: soft leather, a slim sole, muted tones, and oxford-leaning lines that do not scream for attention. BLOCH emphasizes comfort, stability, and style, while Capezio describes jazz shoes as built for agility, flexibility, and reliable support. In other words, this is not a shoe for showing off. It is a shoe for looking like you know exactly where the line is between polished and overdone.

Styling is where the argument gets strongest. Wear them with straight-leg trousers and a crisp shirt for that restrained old-money finish, or with a bias skirt that lets the shoe peek out without competing with the hem. Bermuda shorts work too, especially with a tucked-in knit and barely-there jewelry. Who What Wear’s April 9, 2026 roundup of nine ballet-flat trends and Refinery29’s March 24, 2026 spring shoe edit show the flat category is still alive, but Celine’s take suggests the mood is shifting toward something sleeker, quieter, and a little more insiderish.