When Harry Styles stepped onto the Grammys stage to present Bad Bunny with the award for Best Album, it wasn’t his cropped tweed jacket that stole the show. Instead, it was the mint-green, bow-adorned Dior shoes on his feet. Styled with jeans, the mules bore an uncanny resemblance to pastel ballet flats—dainty, playful, and unmistakably deliberate.

Despite his recent step back from the spotlight (even global superstars need time off, preferably in Italy), Styles’s commitment to joyful accessories remains unwavering. His history of reshaping men’s fashion is well documented: the pearl necklace wave that swept through soft-boy wardrobes in 2023, the parade of ironic baseball caps designed to confuse paparazzi, and now, this latest footwear moment.

The shoes, designed by Jonathan Anderson for Dior’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection, feel like a natural progression. Slipper-like, whimsical, and quietly provocative, they signal a return to fashion that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Under Anderson’s direction, menswear is having fun again—odd jackets, delicate shoes, and a sense of theatricality that’s been missing for a while.

If ballet flats on men still feel like a stretch, Jacob Elordi offered further proof last week on Jimmy Kimmel Live, stepping out in bow-detailed Bottega Veneta loafers that, at a glance, looked suspiciously like ballet flats themselves. Call it a nod to Serge Gainsbourg’s metrosexual Repetto era or a rejection of sneaker-obsessed hype culture, but the message is clear: the reign of the sporty shoe is fading.

As fashion writer Daniel Rodgers recently put it, “It’s time to get dressed.” And with “real shoes” firmly back on the agenda, Hollywood’s most watched men are leading the charge—embracing whimsy, elegance, and a little mischief along the way.

Alexander Skarsgård, also styled by Harry Lambert, has been exploring similar territory, from studded Valentino flip-flops at Sundance to more experimental footwear choices overall. If the past year has proven anything, it’s that men’s shoes are once again worth talking about. Exposed toes stirred conversation; now, coverage is back—with flair.

As spring approaches, don’t be surprised if your daily commute includes men in ballet flats, mullets swaying, Harry Styles playing softly through their headphones. Menswear, it seems, is finally having fun again—and everyone’s invited.