The Elegant, Anti-Flat Shoe Trend I’ve Spotted All Over Paris and Milan This Autumn

Over the past four weeks, I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve analysed thousands of street style looks in the attempt to spot any and all emerging trends that have bubbled up during fashion month. Of course, I’ll be speaking to the trends we saw on the spring/summer 2025 runways later this month, but right now I’ve been channeling my efforts into documenting the real-life looks that have caught my attention. It was while I was revisiting the shots captured most recently in Milan and Paris I began to see a fresh new trend come to the surface. Introducing the curved heel shoe trend.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Aren’t 99% of heels curved? Admittedly, this is the case, with most pairs featuring a slope that faces outwards from the heel. However, what I’m seeing now is preference for shoes where the heel instead turns inwards, hence the curved heel shoe trend.

Fixed onto boots, court shoes and sandals, all in a variation of different heights and thicknesses, it’s this sort of unusual detail that can make an outfit feel more directional in an instant, without compromising or overpowering the rest of your look. And this is precisely why I think the curved heel shoe trend has been such a hit this fashion month—it adds a point of interest, certainly, but it still works with just about any sort of ensemble, be it classic and elegant or edgy and unique.

With their distinct arch, the silhouette of these shoes reminds me of Alexander McQueen’s iconic Armadillo shoes, which were produced in very limited runs (I’m talking 24 pairs when they debuted in 2009 and then a further three pairs that were created especially for a charity auction in 2015). Although their shape was exaggerated and recognisable in a second, 2024’s curved-heel offering is reminiscent of them, but (for most of us, anyway) much more wearable.

After seeing so many pairs of curved-heel shoes during fashion month, I decided to conduct some market research and, in doing so, I think I’ve unwittingly stumbled across one of the biggest, albeit under-the-radar, footwear trends of the season! From Zara and Arket all the way to The Row and a modern-day offering from Alexander McQueen, there are so many curved-heel shoes available right now, thus confirming that they’re very much a thing.