I've switched from ballerina sneakers to jazz shoes. Here's why this nostalgic shoe is about to go viral

As a style director I’m often asked for intel on the “next big thing,” but I rarely respond. Our Good Housekeeping style manifesto is rooted in not falling for faddish trends, and choosing well-made, long-lasting clothes and accessories that work for our personal style, instead.

But today I feel duty bound to point you towards an incoming shoe trend with built in longevity that is as chic as it is comfortable, as easy-to-wear as a white sneaker and, in wearing them, you’ll feel part of fashion as it unfolds in real time.

And it’s for jazz shoes! I know – a dance shoe! While it seems a little strange at first, think about it; dance shoes are easily the most popular shoes of the 2020s so far. First, we had the ballet flat revival, followed by ballerina sneakers and all manner of sneaker/ dance shoe hybrids from Irish Ghillie shoes to tap-dancing Mary-Janes. All this made way for the next most logical shoe in this sequence – the jazz shoe.

But what makes a jazz shoe? At first glance they look like a classic Oxford lace-up, but the similarities end at the laces. A jazz shoe is made from supple, foot-hugging glove-soft leather, come in low-cut almost slipper-like shapes and with either a split rubber sole or a full sole with a grippy heel that allows for fluid movement without slipping.

Quite by accident I’ve been wearing split-sole jazz shoes all weekend, borrowed from a friend to wear for a day out visiting galleries in London. The pair I took an easy 18,000 steps wearing are by Ralph Lauren - and, it turns out, designed by none other than Michael Rider, who worked at Ralph Lauren for six years before moving over to Celine.

Rider’s viral debut for Celine already turned us on to the styling possibilities of the silk square, and as evidenced by his work at Ralph Lauren, and now Celine, he clearly loves a jazz shoe.

More than half the looks in his viral debut Celine earlier this month featured the jazzy little foot-hugging shoes in either black or white leather, and the growing early buzz around them suggests they'll become instant sell-outs when they launch early next year. But if you don't want to wait for a little Rider magic, his Ralph Lauren styles are online now.

If you’re feeling as convinced by this great shoe shift as me, and like to plan your style purchases ahead of time, our edit below features the best jazz style shoes around now, including the iconic Zizi Oxford jazz shoe by dance wear company Repetto.

Shop the edit