When Mary Janes began trending on Chanel and Prada runways, each pair possessed a distinctly "back to school" vibe. With their dark leather and heavy-duty buckles, I categorized them as a "fall" shoe to replace with mesh flats or sandals as soon as temperatures started to rise.
I still see buckled leather Mary Janes all over street style with little white ankle socks and preppy, Tortured Poets-esque skirts. But when a shoe trend sticks around long enough, it starts to evolve. This spring, the Mary Janes that are rising in popularity have a more whimsical look. Instead of a collegiate nod, they're now lightweight, colorful slippers that could belong to an American Girl Doll.
The footwear I interpret as a "doll shoe" is more accurately described as a Venetian flat. Traditionally, this style's uppers are made from velvet, canvas, or brocade, with soles repurposed from bicycle tires. They have the comfort and free-wheeling spirit of a vacation-y espadrille with the polish of a typical Mary Jane.
Minimalists can find linen and black versions, but the most exciting pairs come in jewel tones and florals with contrasting stitching. These aren't Mary Janes to wear while cramming for exams in a stuffy Oxford library or cosplaying as a character in The Secret History. They're for skipping down the sidewalk on a sunny afternoon in a Dôen sundress with a basket bag over one shoulder.
The brands behind the look aren't all new themselves. Labels like Vibi Venezia, Capulette, and Stevi Stefan make each pair by hand in Italy and have been doing so for decades. We're just catching up on their appeal stateside.
Who What Wear founder Hillary Kerr has vouched for a green Capulette pair in her newsletter, Hi Everyone, while Katie Holmes has worn her blueberry Vibi Venezia pair on back-to-back occasions this spring, a sign she really loves the style. After investing in a moss green pair of my own, they've become the only shoes I want to slide on in the morning (unless the color truly clashes with my outfit—and in that case, I'll change my clothes to keep them on).
U.S. designers are also catching on to the style's easygoing-yet-playful appeal. On Thursday, New York Fashion Week darling Markarian released a limited-edition capsule with Vibi Venezia that features sunny yellow floral pairs and matching dresses to go with them. Cool-girl label Attersee's Upper East Side showroom stocks pairs from a collaboration with Drogheria Crivellini, another made-in-Italy label.
More studious Mary Janes will always be there if you want them (I'm definitely hanging on to my old pairs). But colors and patterns in these next iterations feel like spring in shoe form. Wearing them, we're all basically Alice walking in Wonderland.
