Something strange is afoot in the world of high fashion. Shoes seem to be vanishing before our very eyes, all the traditional features of footwear fading away to the point of going AWOL entirely. The result? Brace yourself for a disturbing amount of foot on display this summer. If you’re already wary of, say, a peep-toe sandal and the podiatric maintenance that such a style requires, then be very afraid indeed. The barely-there shoe is on the march – and it’s providing minimal arch support in the process.
One of the most talked-about footwear buys of the season is the Balla shoe from It-brand Dear Frances, a creation that boldly seeks to ask: what if the ballet pump became even less flattering and showed off every inch of your trotters? The design in question, which is available in eight colourways and costs £295, is near-transparent, fashioned from thin mesh with Italian leather edging.
According to the label, “its near nude composition and glove-like fit will lend sleekness and simplicity to wardrobes for work or for pleasure”. Perhaps, but to the untrained eye, the overall aesthetic effect is akin to wrapping up your foot in surgical mesh. And that “near nude composition” will surely only serve to draw attention to our various pedal inadequacies.
Got a bit of flaky skin on your heel? Or a toe that’s been a bit weird-looking ever since you trained for a half-marathon in dodgy trainers? Maybe your feet have been disparagingly referred to as “hobbit-like?” Rest assured that the Balla will beautifully showcase all of those idiosyncrasies.
If you’re really taken with the idea of flashing your feet to all and sundry, you could complete the set with a pair of mesh Balla booties, which I can only describe as looking akin to something a high-fashion beekeeper might wear (David Beckham, perhaps it’s one for you?) Or if you’re feeling a little more conservative, you could opt for the Gala, the Balla’s more shy and retiring cousin, which features a covered-up leather toecap.
For anyone who has ever held on to any form of insecurity about the state of their tootsies, the rise of foot-baring footwear is the stuff of nightmares.
This mind-boggling trend for shoes that barely qualify as such can be traced back to the year 2022, when Alaia unveiled its fishnet ballet pumps. The flats, which retailed at £650, quickly sold out and were spotted on the (perfectly tended) feet of Jennifer Lawrence, Dua Lipa, Margot Robbie and Sofia Richie Grainge.
Inevitably, other brands started to catch on, perhaps because this divisive style makes such a talking-point piece in an era when fashion trends are often dictated by algorithm (if there is a more perfect example of sartorial rage-bait than the barely-there pump, I am yet to find one).
Danish super-brand Ganni launched its Jenny ballerina flats in leopard print mesh and also released a “sporty” mesh pseudo-trainer with a lace-up design. French label Sézane, meanwhile, entered the fray with their Aubane Low Babies, a Mary Jane style with a crossover strap, available with a smattering of polka dots to jazz up the near-transparent finish, or in a crochet-esque woven version.
The trickle-down effect means that more affordable high street stores such as H&M, Bershka, Mango and New Look are all offering up their take on the trend. Grazia magazine has even declared the style to be “summer 2026’s new ‘it’ shoe”.
And as this look tiptoes its way into the mainstream, the big fashion houses are pushing boundaries ever further. Earlier this year, Chanel’s creative director Matthieu Blazy sent models down the runway wearing what could only be described as footless sandals at his debut Cruise show in Biarritz. The shoes were essentially a set of heel protectors strapped onto the back of the foot, while the rest went entirely naked. Perfect for a lazy afternoon on the beaches of the south of France, perhaps, but for day-to-day life? Hmm.
Indeed, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when you might feel called upon to get your feet out in polite society in such a blatant, even brazen way. Are near-naked shoes appropriate for the office (no one wants a 360-degree appraisal of their colleagues’ toes, surely)? Could you wear them on the Tube – who would want to be so close to the layers of ingrained grot that have gathered on the floors of the Underground over the years, or to expose themselves to the clod-hopping feet of their fellow commuters?
And if you wore them in a pub garden? Surely you’d be setting yourself up for decades of gentle mockery from your pals – unless your friendship group happens to be composed of fashion editors and trend-forward influencers.
If there is a more perfect example of sartorial rage-bait than the barely-there pump, I am yet to find one
Then there’s the footcare question. When the Chanel “sandals” made their debut back in April, Dr Hirah Mirza, a US-based podiatrist with 12,000 followers on Instagram, described the style as “an absolute nightmare” for her fellow foot doctors. “Zero protection for your feet, zero shock absorption and you’re completely exposed to bacteria and whatever else you’re walking in,” she opined in a video.
So who, exactly, is this style for? According to a survey from footcare brand Tal, 49 per cent of Brits have hidden their feet out of pure shame, and 40 per cent have avoided sandals due to feeling self-conscious about cracked heels or dry skin. There are clearly large swathes of the population for whom this trend is a no-go.
When it comes down to it, this is a style that is basically a boast in shoe form. It screams: “Look at me and my preternaturally attractive feet, you crackly-heeled peasant!” It leaves the rest of us frantically considering: at what point do one’s toenails become too bad for a pedicure? It prompts panic buying of those weird foot-sock-masks, which promise to slough off dead skin and leave you shedding bits of heel for the next five working days. It kickstarts strange spirals about whether those creepy shopping centre foot spas filled with skin-eating fish still exist. None of which is very chic at all.
And if you are brave enough to bare all? Perhaps consider befriending your local podiatrist or pedicurist – you’ll almost certainly be in need of their services this summer.
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