Open to Buy: Low Profile Shoes With High Confusion
I've been 🌀 spiraling 🌀 Jazz, Derby, Oxfords...oh my! Plus all the retail news from the end of the week.
If you know me, then you know my love of Diet Coke, a closet full of black clothes, and a flat shoe. I’m thrilled that we have so many options that are available now beyond a ballet flat but I often find that the vocabulary between them gets intertwined. What is the difference between a Jazz Shoe and a Derby? What is an Opera Pump? I’ve noticed that each brand and designer tends to put their own spin on it and select the name they might like the best versus historical references and honestly — you do you!1 That’s fine with me. But another love of mine is putting things into a visual system to organize. As I put together this chart, fashion history notes, tried to categorize into Open to Buy wish list I realized there is so much overlap. Maybe this needs more of a Fashion Matrix but I can only create so much content before I start to really spiral. So, I present to you…my fashion spiral 🌀 on Low Profile Shoes.
[Note — If you are here for news keep scrolling to the bottom. I’ve got the rest of the week rounded up there.]
In this send: I’m trying to make sense of all the terminology and styling of the low profile shoes. It’s a style I love but the way we intertwine the words meant I need to spiral and get organized. Plus: Michael Rider, Virginie Viard, Shoe Terminology, Zizi, highlighter yellow, cousu retourné, Last, Vamp, Jamie Haller, Azzedine Alaïa, Skims, Atorie, Redouane Ramdani, Daisy Chain Festival, Relax Lacrosse, Buff Beauty, dyslexic watch, and I shared my Things That Are Worth It — Retail Edition. What’s on your list?
Forecast and General Trends
Ballet flats and loafers led the shift away from heels once the uptick on remote work made office dressing more casual, and that expansion of flat options is what opened the door for even more flat styles. We also saw a swing from chunkier sneakers back to the lower profile styles like Sambas and the sneakers kept getting sleeker.
We’ve had runway styles to inspire us too. Michael Rider’s Celine Jazz Shoes, Jonathan Anderson’s Loewe Derbies, and Virginie Viard’s Chanel Opera Pumps, her first look in the Resort 2025 collection.
What also helps is that this shoe style is relatively easy to adapt and develop at all price points. Like the Zara white flats that took off and sold out quickly this spring. The low profile shoe also feels like the perfect counterbalance to styling. If a look feels too feminine, add a more traditional masculine shoe. But also, the low profile of it all helps a more masculine look feel softer. Get you a shoe that can do both.
Open to Buy
Jazz Shoe: A split sole and a split toe just go together — the Tabi Jazz Shoe. The Jamie Haller in latte is the pair I keep debating. Proenza Schouler’s version we are categorizing here too. Go full dancer with a pair of Blochs that really are jazz shoes.
Derby: Soeur, highlighter yellow from Celine on sale (but black and white are classics too), Lemaire’s pair has a touch of an oragami feel.
Low Profile Leather Sneaker: I love Larroudé execution of perhaps the slimmest leather sneaker inspired by the jazz shoe trend. So there you go! Loewe has rubber soles on these, hence the sneaker designation. Veronica Beard’s leather sneakers, Dries Van Noten ballet sneakers, Dear Frances comes in leather and mesh, vegan leather from BR Factory. Prada has a country club inspired pair. For the best style/value/price equation go directly to Keds and checkout the laceless style too.
Oxford: Reformations pair here. A woven pair. Chanel pearls in the heels secondhand. Ralph Lauren’s Oxfords. I’m putting the The OG Zizi, as an Oxford since it has a leather sole and a low heel. If you liked Becky Malinsky suggestion of wearing them totally worn down go straight here and get a great deal.
Opera Pump: My number one choice that I hunted down and scored on Poshmark about a year ago are the Chanel. An Opera Pump under $300 here, Khaite’s version in Bordeaux are sharp, Another Ref option, Phoebe Philo’s club slipper, Black Suede Studio has a lower profile. The new Jil Sander satin ballet flats feel like they belong in this category, but also a bit of a High Vamp Ballet Flat. The Bode are so incredibly elegant and bring to mind a vintage Ferragamo. I haven’t tried on the Mango so I can’t speak to the comfort but the price is hard to beat! If you don’t like rain shoes something like this is a great alternative.
High Vamp Ballet Flats: love these from By Far, a few from Soeur are currently on sale here, Mansur Gavriel has had a high vamp ballet flat in their assortment for awhile too — another version here that are ruched. This pair from Freda Salvador also has a pretty high vamp. I’m not even getting into the mesh of it all, but there are many. The Phoebe Philo pair might be the trophy pair in this category. Wales Bonner feel like a high vamp ballet flat but I also want to categorize them as a laceless oxford and a distant cousin to the Opera Pump. Repetto recently introduced the Olympe as a ballet flat (with a small heel) take on the Zizi. And this Repetto men’s ballet flat looks so similar to another popular High Vamp Ballet Flat that I listed above, you know the one.
Fashion History
Jazz shoe: For the dancers, this style was designed to move in and form to the foot. A soft flat, with or without laces, is built with a technique called cousu retourné, a traditional method where the shoe is assembled and the sole sewn on inside out and the flipped right side out. This is what gives it that folded, no-break-in-required feel. Round toe, low vamp, thin flexible rubber sole made for moving.
Derby: Originated as a military boot in the 1800s, then became more of an aristocratic footwear option before evolving into an outdoor sporting shoe. The naming convention is tied to either the 14th Earl of Derby in the 19th century, who reportedly requested a looser, open-laced shoe to accommodate a wider foot or high instep.
Low Profile Leather Sneaker: Generally rooted in a 1970’s tennis court shoe, the style has evolved from sneaker technology to keep paring the style back until most of the function of a performance sneaker is taken out and it is worn for more casual wear. Minimal design and materials.
Oxford: Closed lacing, quarters stitched under the vamp. The difference of the Oxford and the Derby is where the quarters are stitched. Sleek, structured toe, leather sole, low heel. Time period: estimated 18th century, Scottish/Irish origin, popularized by Oxford University students who wanted a lower-cut alternative to the boot.
Opera Pump: A slip-on shoe with a single seam at the heel and a low-cut vamp. Generally has a flat or low block heel. This style originated in the 1730s with European court dress and formalized as a black-tie staple by the Victorian era, when it was worn specifically for evenings that involved dancing. That’s where the Opera comes in.
High Vamp Ballet Flat: Slip-on and a traditional ballet flat but makes since to include in here so there are similarities and often serve the same purpose. The vamp is higher cut on the foot than a traditional ballet flat with more coverage. Have been trending with a super thin and flexible outsole. I could write a whole fashion spiral 🌀 on ballet flats (and loafers) and I’m sure I will at some point.
A few other styles we could mix in here but I have to stop at some point and these tend to be more singular and obvious: Moccasin, Boat Shoe, Loafer, Ballet Sneakers.
An example of how confusing these styles can be, The Zizi from Repetto: described as a Derby here, and Oxford here and also often referred to as a Jazz Shoe. Hence the spiral.
Shoe Terminology
A few details to help understand the making of a shoe:
Upper: everything above the sole, the outer material that gives the shoe its shape.
Quarters: panels that wrap around the sides and the back of the foot and cup the heel.
Last: A foot-shaped mold that the shoe is built around. This determines the shoe fit and toe shape. Lasts are often used to recreate new styles built from previous popular styles. If you have a proven fit and style in a shoe it makes sense to build off of it and it is expensive and timely to design a new last.
Vamp: The front section of the upper. It covers the toe and the top of the foot.
Toe Box: The front of the shoe that holds the toe's shape. Structured on an oxford, soft and unstructured on a jazz shoe or moccasin.
Outsole: The layer that touches the ground on the bottom of the shoe.
Considerations — How to Choose
Generally these are all pretty interchangeable but a few things to note.
Functionality: Most of these are pretty comfortable but often don’t have a lot of support or cushioning if you are walking your 10,000 steps on a hard surface.
Weather: These aren’t ideal for inclement weather like rain or snow. You are more likely to slip with the thin leather soles and not much traction. You would want rubber. That being said, I’ve found the low-heel Opera Pumps in a patent leather to be a suitable option for a bit of rain. Just no puddles that would cover your feet.
Style: Opera Pumps are the most dressed up, the Low Profile Sneakers tend to be the most dressed down. The vast majority of these shoes fit comfortably in the “business casual” category.
Fit: Derbies are a bit looser, high vamp ballet flats and jazz shoes fit closer to the foot. Many of the patent leather Opera Pumps won’t have much give but the other shoes when made with such a thin leather have nice stretch to them and will likely mold to your foot with wear.
🛍️ Quick note: I write a lot (too much good stuff to share!) If you’re reading via email only, you may need to click through to the web version or read on the Substack app. I promise it will be worth it. 🛍️
Looking for more content?
Check these favorites out:
Jamie Haller’s behind the scenes of the making of the sacchetto sneakers.
Joyce Lee’s Spring Flats Guide should not be considered just a spring read. I’d wear any of these now too and into the early fall. I love all of her picks.
Via Marie Claire, "High-Vamp Flats Are Replacing Classic Ballet Slippers in 2026"
Robb Report, "How the Old-School Opera Pump Became a Modern Black-Tie Essential" from 2023 on the rise of the Opera Pump style.
What do you think? Are you into this style of shoe? Any requests for future fashion 🌀 spirals?
Field Notes
Opening in November at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco I can’t wait to visit the upcoming Azzedine Alaïa: Sculpting Fashion exhibit.
Skims opened their London Flagship. [WWD]
I was reading Jacob Gallagher’s The Fashions newsletter (which happened to be all about scrunchie loafers that would fit right in with the low profile shoe spiral but I cut out loafers because that feels like a whole other category) but he mentioned the brand Atorie. Atorie had an item on the ShopMy Top Ten in January when I reported for Line Sheet and I was curious to learn more about the brand at the time.
Atorie has raised early-stage funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Blue Wire Capital, and other institutional investors, and built its following largely through Instagram ads and influencers sharing links. Co-founder and C.E.O. Redouane Ramdani previously built Snipfeed, a creator-monetization tool acquired by Planoly in 2024. The brand partners with factories directly, the same story we've heard in recent years from brands like Quince. This seems like the path it took to land in Gallagher's research: a $215 version of The Row's $1,290 Soft Loafer.
An Atorie Instagram ad I was served Friday while reporting on this send. Olivia Rodrigo is working with female creators from Etsy shops to develop and design festival merch for the Daisy Chain Festival.
🥍 Relax Lacrosse partnered with creators to design shorts for their brand. Long Live x Relax Lacrosse Brand (congrats Erika Veurink) and Leandra Medine Cohen has a mini pair.
💅 A new nail brand, Buff Beauty, launched by Katia Beauchamp, the co-founder of Birchbox and ex CEO of Victoria Beckham Beauty. This made me think of the Helen of Troy acquisition of Olive & June, the disruptor to the nail space, for $240 million. Other nail care brands worth watching are Celisse, Ten over Ten, and Bare Hands.
New Store Opening for Hill House Home — coming to Houston.
The NYTimes covered a very cool story about a quality watch to help dyslexics tell time.
How cute are these adorable deadstock fabric jewelry pouches? Best Friends sells at her shop in Nashville.
Things That Are Worth It — Retail Edition
Made just for you — always. See you Tuesday.
xx, Sarah Shapiro
Private Label Issue 24
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Although sometimes confusing when retailers switch it up. The same exact shoe might be a Jazz shoe at one store and the same shoe a Derby at another store. And it can be frustrating to think you are searching for one item and not find it because the naming convention isn’t aligned.