Alaïa Updates Mary Jane Flats With a Velvet Spin
Alaïa’s newest fall shoe style is tapping into two of the season’s biggest footwear trends.
Within the French luxury brand’s fall 2023 collection, creative director Pieter Mulier has released the new Criss Cross flats: a rubber-soled style with faintly rounded toes and closed counters, inspired by Japanese footwear. For a preppy flair, this silhouette features two crossed straps cinched by metal side buckles for added security.
The $890 flat style features smooth velvet uppers in wine-red and black colorways, bringing them an elegantly textured revamp for the cooler months. The style also leans into the current individual and overlapping trends of ballet flats and Mary Janes, which have become two of the largest shoe trends of the fall season; in fact, the aforementioned red velvet version of the Criss Cross shoes have already sold out online.
Aside from their velvet iterations, the Criss Cross shoes also come in a handful of other colorways. A leather iteration is cast in classic black and vibrant red colorways, leaning into Alaïa’s signature brand colors. Meanwhile, an additional calfskin version is covered in a light gold brown and black leopard print for a burst of wild patterns.
The Criss Cross flats are one of the newest shoe styles within Alaïa’s current fall 2023 women’s collection, which also includes an array of velvet wedge mules, clear wedged sandals, low-heeled pumps and laser-cut booties in hues including black, white, gold and more. You can discover the full footwear range on Alaïa’s website.
In other Alaïa news, the brand showed its spring 2024 collection in June, notably outside of the Fashion Month calendar. Additionally, 140 pieces from the archival fashion collection of the label’s late founder, Azzedine Alaïa, will be showcased in a new exhibit at the Palais Galleria in Paris beginning Sept. 27, according to WWD.
About the Author:
Aaron Royce is the Digital Editor for Footwear News, where he writes stories on trending news, celebrity style, collaborations and in-depth profile interviews. Prior to joining Footwear News, Aaron wrote and interned for publications including PAPER, Grazia and the Daily Front Row. He currently holds a B.S. in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University.