Track Pants & Ballet Flats Are The Unlikely Pairing You Need To Try Next

Trending separately and now together, track pants and ballet flats seem to have found each other — and we couldn’t be happier for them.

An unlikely pairing that's quietly been on the rise among the style set over the last few seasons, it’s a welcome trend amid the barrage of obscure aesthetics we’ve been subjected to in recent times. After all, both the track pant and the ballet flat are classic items that can hold their own in a capsule wardrobe (depending on you how you define yours), yet there’s something decidedly refreshing about them together.

A little sporty, a little studio, it’s essentially an updated alternative to the ‘dress and trainers’ look that defined the late 2010s as our collective obsession with athleisure peaked (when, ironically, the ugly sneaker trend ousted the ballet flat from favour). And while track pants never really ‘left’, they were restricted to ‘inside clothes’ status for quite some time, so it stands to reason that a girly glow-up was in order to take our pandemic uniform out on the town. 

Enter: the rise of balletcore. Arguably kicked into high gear following Miu Miu’s Autumn/Winter 22 runway, which saw dainty satin flats paired with preppy athletic pieces like polo shirts and gym socks, it was a reminder that ballet flats need not be banished with Y2K skinny jeans forever (which, let’s be real, are also likely to make a comeback sooner than we think).

Fast-forward to 2024, and the pair have reached the streets in tandem, thanks to the likes of fashion designer Anne-Laure Mais and Camille Charrière, among others. While the track pants in question have remained old school in style — typically of the three-stripe variety, aka adidas Originals — the ballet flats of today have treaded into experimental territory (pardon the pun). While the Chanel-esque two-tone look and traditional pink interactions haven’t disappeared entirely, mesh and studded styles have been making their way into our social media feeds, courtesy of Ganni and Alaia, as well as the fashion girlie-favourite, Maison Margiela's Tabi ballerinas.

As far as trends go, the track pant and ballet flat duo is a genuinely wearable one, with the pair forming a truly open canvas for styling. You can lean more into dressy territory by adding a lace camisole, a structured blazer or sheer blouse up top. Or alternatively, you can maintain the WFH ‘but make it fashion’ feeling with a crisp white shirt. Either way, we adore a trend that encourages you to remix pieces you likely already have in your wardrobe. It's all about creating fresh, stylish looks with what you own.