When you don’t have time to even think about what shoes to throw on before you leave the house, sometimes the best option is the most unexpected one. As someone who prefers to plan my outfits around the shoes I’d like to wear that day, sometimes I simply can’t think that far ahead, and I’ve found that reaching for the trend that Elsa Hosk just wore makes my outfit better every single time. The trend is colorful ballet flats, which have seen their popularity rise rapidly, and can now be considered one of the biggest flat-shoe trends of 2026.
The wrong-shoe theory, statement shoes, clashing shoes—whatever you want to call it—wearing shoes that aren’t a safe neutral with your outfits has become a common practice among the fashion crowd. When it comes to Hosk’s denim-shirt-and-balloon-track-pants outfit, which she recently posted to her Instagram feed, a pair of tan or white ballet flats may have felt more cohesive, but her decision to wear aqua blue ballet flats (Chanel, of course) was far more inspired.
When choosing your pair of colorful flats, the brighter the better. Favorite brands for ballet flats, such as Reformation, Margaux, Repetto, and Alex Mill, are offering up options in yellow, red, purple, lime, and shades of blue, to name just a few. Scroll on to shop my favorite pairs.
Latest Videos FromWho What Wear
The Flat-Shoe Trick, As Seen on Elsa Hosk
On Elsa Hosk: Helsa shirt; Lioness Aniston Full-Length Pants ($100); Chanel bag and shoes
Shop Colorful Ballet Flats
Alex Mill
Prince Street Ballet Flat in Leather in Charlie Blue
COS
Leather Ballet Flats in Red
Zara
Leather Bow Ballet Flats in Pistachio Green
MARGAUX
The Fonteyn Flats in Cobalt Suede
Repetto
Cendrillon Ballerina Flats in Citron
Larroudé
Pavlova Ballet Flats in Kiwi Satin
Madewell
The Freja Glove Ballet Flats in Bright Ember
J.Crew
Sophie Woven Ballet Flats in Sea Sky
Alex Mill
Prince Street Ballet Flat in Leather in Hibiscus
Reformation
Blaine Flats in Glacial Leather Blue
Sam Edelman
Alie Ballet Flats in Viola
