Celebrities and French women can’t stop the ballet mule trend

I’ve noticed a distinctly chic commonality between the wardrobes of Margot Robbie, Laura Harrier, and the chicest French women I follow: Dressing for their newfound sun, these stylish ladies have elevated their shoe collections and climbed the fashion ranks with a little-known shoe trend that we predict will start taking off very soon.

Eschewing the trendy sandals worn by the stylish women around me, this elite set of styles are reaching for the low-profile ballet mule trend this summer, and I’m dying to adopt it too.

Pioneering the mule trend in the early ’90s, Manolo’s Maysale shoes helped launch the successful mule shoe trend. With a small heel, pointed toe design and easy-to-wear silhouette, the iconic shoe quickly gained a cult following and paved the way for the mule shoe trend to become what we know it as today.

Now, a few seasons later, the humble mule has been reimagined with a flat foot and ballet-inspired design. After the massive success of the ballet flat trend last summer, the hybrid ballet mule takes the best of both shoes, creating a fresh silhouette that’s sure to make dressing for the scorching heat a breeze.

Offering all the comfort of your favorite slide sandals, but with a more sophisticated edge, it’s no wonder ballet mules have been named fashion’s new favorite shoe. Great with jeans, and as Harrier, Robbie, and influencer Sylvie Masse prove, this trend also looks incredibly chic with full-length skirts and pretty summer dresses.

With a backless finish, this shoe silhouette is, in theory, more casual than its more fully covered counterparts, but when dressed appropriately, I find they act as the perfect alternative to heels when an alternative is needed.

These ultra-chic ladies aren’t the only ones catching on to the growing trend: In fact, designers are already hard at work creating elegant mules. From Zara’s pretty rouge styles to Manolo Blahnik’s iconic black pair, see our edit of the best ballet mules to buy this summer.