Move Over Dad Sneakers, It’s All About Mom Mules Now

Scrolling 0.5 seconds into the abyss of Instagram, it’s clear to see that the “ugly” shoe trend in the form of the “dad” sneaker is sticking around. But what if we were to reveal the new family member in town? The “mom” mule is reigning supreme in the style stakes amongst the influencers, and the more elegant dressers amongst us (read: those who loathe athleisure) are really quite thrilled to ring in a new shoe trend.

The max two-inch heels and slightly retro finishes (think metallics, colored leathers, square toes) add to the wholly enjoyable feeling of prancing around in our mum’s ‘80s shoes when we were but wee babes, but when Fendi and Rupert Sanderson are on board, they’re getting a very modern seal of approval. Need further proof? Mango’s Committed toe-sandals recently sold out, got restocked and sold out again within hours of landing on site—the power of the “mom” mule is clear to see.

What makes these pairs different to the usual mule clan? It’s all about the slim low-down cross strap making them slightly trickier to stay on your feet, but once they’re on you’ll struggle to (want to) remove them all summer—trust us. What’s nice is that they’re a go-with-everything kind of purchase: we’ve seen influencers wearing them with mom jeans as easily as they do with a party dress. Keep scrolling to see girls wearing these new mid-heel mules, and shop some of our favorites below.

And Finally’s Anna (left) and Florrie (right) have both been favouring this kind of mule style on their holidays. The whole world is regramming this shot from Pernille. Dana’s mixing eras here with a ’70s dress and ’90s heels. We’re into it. Anum of Desert Mannequin takes the full ’80s route with leopard print and gold hoops. Hana’s top-and-tailing of her jeans with lemon yellow really feels right. What did we tell you about jeans and mules? Irina’s combination just works. Pair with a polka-dot midi dress for after dark. All hail H&M. Pernille has designed these for the affordable store we’re shopping right now. Bloggers are snapping these up in white, but we have a soft spot for the gold. There’s nothing like a sculptural heel to get us to add to cart.  They also come in yellow and black, in case you were wondering.

You might now fancy perusing the $80 sneakers our editor bought immediately… 

This post originally appeared on Who What Wear UK.