Celebs Can’t Stop Wearing Teeny-Tiny Kitten Heels

Kitten heels have garnered attention in recent years, favored by some for their office siren-esque allure, by others for their runway-approved aesthetic. This summer, celebs are pushing kitten heels to their limits with micro-mini heeled shoes that don’t necessarily promise a height advantage, but offer a dose of whimsy. The likes of Hailey Bieber, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Kaia Gerber, and Lori Harvey recently stepped out in versions of the kitten heel that are as floor-grazing as possible, which begs the question: why not just wear flats?

Brands like Prada, Loewe, and Chloé have all shown their take on the kitten heel in recent seasons: Prada with a (purposefully) ugly mule style, Loewe with a slightly heeled mule, and Chloé with a micro-heeled clog. These styles all play with proportion, beauty, and function in their own ways, and it seems like A-list style icons have responded in kind. Maybe the girlies are just plain sick of flats and want the illusion of wearing a heel, but don’t want to put in the legwork (pun intended). In any event, these shoes are a fashion statement for fashion’s sake: no utility, just style. They’re a silly little shoe choice for silly little summer looks.

If you’re not in the market for sky-high heels and you already have several solid ballet flats in rotation, now’s a good time to buy into the trend. Whether you want to slide around in kitten-heeled clogs like Edgar-Jones or stomp around Europe in thong sandals like Harvey, play around with your heel height and wear a shoe that’s almost a flat, but isn’t.