Milan didn’t hold back. Shoes paraded on the spring ’25 runways showed range, spanning from flats and kitten heels to quirky designs standing out for their unusual shape or flashy embellishments.
Need evidence of such a broad spectrum? Just take a look at the Prada show, where Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons displayed some of the brand’s greatest shoe hits over the years, slightly reworked for spring, and more.
With their unmatched talent and intuition in grasping the zeitgeist, the duo looked back at fashion ideas to cast a new light on them, while challenging the conformism set by algorithms and the current “core” obsession with the disruptive joy of expressing one’s uniqueness through clothes and shoes alike.
In the same spirit, key footwear staples were revisited with a twist across many other shows here.
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Flats
Following in the footsteps of Tory Burch relaunching her iconic Reva ballet flat introduced two decades ago, brands in Milan also opted for minimizing heights and maximizing comfort. They kept things unfussy, but never banal since the wide array of flat styles showcased played with twists, interwoven techniques, heart shapes, big bows or PVC and metallic effects, as seen on the catwalks of Roberto Cavalli, Emporio Armani, Marni and N. 21.
At Ferragamo, pointed designs were in sync with Maximilian Davis’ ballet inspiration, as the creative director riffed on links between the Florentine house and dance stars across the decades for spring.
Kitten Heels
Further building on the ladylike trend that has been going strong for few seasons now, kitten heels continued to pop up on the runways, this time even to style nighttime attires. Cue The Attico’s cool show, where open-toe silver mules accessorized the highly seductive looks rich in crystals, lace and fringes. Needless to say, kitten-heeled styles also appeared on the Prada catwalk, as well as on the runway of indie brands such as Vivetta and Federico Cina.
Flip-Flops Reloaded
These are not your usual flip-flops. Brands revisited the quintessential summer must-have in their own way, from the refined leather version seen at Etro to the pop one in primary colors showed at Missoni. At Fiorucci’s first runway show flip-flops were fun and extra-puffy. And at Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, their familiar shape turned arty with a knot while at Marco Rambaldi they had a crafty vibe as made out of fabric scraps. The hardest-to-miss version? Sunnei’s take on the design, coming with colorful wedges.
Quirky Shoes
As designers tiptoed back into a more eccentric vibe in sync with their quest for fun, joy and positivity (and their attempt of breaking free from all-things “Quiet Luxury”) they experimented with colors, materials and techniques to create eye-catching footwear, too. Bottega Veneta won with its glass flowers blooming from pointed mules, but Moschino’s fringed pumps and those covered in colorful price tags made for quite a competition. At Jil Sander things got sparkly in round-toe styles while Avavav announced its collaboration with Adidas covering the Superstar sneakers with a shell toe in the four-finger shape that is a signature of the Stockholm-based indie brand.
