It might be high time to kick your flats to the curb.
The classic pump — typically reserved for boardroom execs in pencil skirts and blazers — is expected to reign as 2025’s It shoe after years of sneakers and ballet flats dominating the trend cycle.
The slip-on shoe’s proliferation in celebrity style and catwalk collections has ushered in the heel’s revival, which NYC-based trend forecaster Mandy Lee calls “the return of the pump.”
Unlike stiletto pumps with their hallmark extra-pointy toe and sky-high heel, these pumps typically feature a softer point at the toe and a modest heel height. It’s a little lower that Christian Louboutin’s famous style “So Kate,” which is also considered a pump but has a skinny, stiletto-style heel that towers at nearly 5 inches.
“It’s like a slightly pointed toe, maybe a 3-inch pump,” Lee, better known as @oldloserinbrooklyn online, told The Post of the specific style. “I have been seeing the return of that classic, not-too-much, not-too-kitten-heel pump.”
The elegant footwear — donned by royals such as Princess Diana and Kate Middleton, who seems particularly fond of her Gianvito Rossi “Gianvito 105” style, which she owns in multiple colors — is getting a cool-girl rebrand and taking over red carpets, runways and front rows alike.
This week, fashion tastemakers Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber stepped out for dinner in Santa Monica both sporting iterations of the humble high heel, Jenner wearing a lower style while Bieber donned a pair with a stiletto-style heel.
While Zendaya was recently spotted in her hallmark Louboutin “So Kates,” the “Challengers” actress graced the Golden Globes red carpet in a pair of silk pumps that matched her orange gown.
That same evening, the awards show step-and-repeat was riddled with the understated shoe as A-listers shirked the usual painfully tall, strappy sandals.
“Wicked” star Ariana Grande channeled Audrey Hepburn in vintage Givenchy and matching satin pumps, while Angelina Jolie and Kerry Washington paired their dresses with similar pointed-toe heels.
Meanwhile, Tory Burch’s spring 2025 New York Fashion Week show saw a star-studded front row donning the label’s edgy take on the classic heel — the “Pierced Pump” style that Elle recently dubbed the “coolest shoe.” It has an adornment on the upper by the toe that pierces the leather.
Not to mention the peep-toe pumps that proliferated on runways, namely from It girl brands Khaite, Miu Miu and Alaïa.
The pump renaissance arrives amid a revival of traditional corporate attire rebranded with a bit of sex appeal, as “corp-core” and “office siren” aesthetics usher in a wave of spec-wearing fashionistas opting for button-ups, blazers and pencil skirts.
“I think it’s like for signaling purposes,” Lee said. “It’s like, ‘I want to be taken seriously.’”
The trend — preceded by a rise in kitten heels — also comes after years of wearing mesh flats and dad sneakers, comfort footwear popularized during a pandemic-era slump in heel sales.
“It’s been a few years since we’ve really seen the pump have its moment, at least in trends,” Lee said, adding that the signature shoe is a staple for “many different groups of people.”
“Businesswomen — they’re rocking a pump, even though flats have been very popular the last couple of years,” she explained.
Comments are closed.