As ballet flats for men gain traction across the market, and celebrities like Harry Styles and Bad Bunny continue to sport the shoe model, Christian Louboutin is taking the trend one step further this wedding season with two footwear silhouettes inspired by a traditional ballerina shoe.
First up is the Diopic ballerina, which is defined by a distinctive square toe reminiscent of the world of ballet. The style is crafted in black crepe satin with crossed elastics on the upper and a lightweight Loubi red sole.
For someone looking for a more traditional oxford style, the Ruben is a lace-up model featuring a crumpled square toe and a sleek low-profile sole that discreetly contains essential arch support. It is offered in both black crepe satin and Bianco white lamb nappa leather, each with a lightweight Loubi red sole.
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Louboutin noted that the new offering for grooms was inspired by the brand’s hit Cassia line of shoes for women that debuted in 2025, which playfully interpret the block-toe pointe shoe.
This release comes at the same time as slim, low-profile shoes continue to be a trend for men that fills a need for an expressive footwear option that isn’t a sneaker.
In an interview last May, Nordstrom’s men’s fashion director Jian DeLeon told FN that the rise of low-profile dress shoes for men “seem to be bridging the gap between elegant formal slippers and cozy, everyday slip-ons.”
“In men’s footwear, the question this season seems to be: ‘How low can you go?’ It’s been exciting to see how many ultra-low-profile shoes are trending right now and how positively customers are reacting to these bold, directional silhouettes,” DeLeon said at the time.
Celebrities are also helping to push the trend. At the 2026 Oscars, Omar Apollo took the look to the red carpet with a pair of Valentino Garavani bow-adorned ballet flats.
And he’s not the only man to have donned a ballerina-style on the red carpet recently. Bad Bunny wore Dries Van Noten slippers with crisscross straps, paired with socks, at the premiere of “Happy Gilmore 2” over the summer and, more recently, Harry Styles hit the red carpet for the Brit Awards in ballet flats adorned with a dainty bow to go with a Chanel suit. This followed his ballerina-mule Dior footwear moment at the Grammys.
