For years, I followed the insiders’ rule: capri pants were worn with heels, never with ballet flats. The whole thing seemed to shorten my leg. Then I saw Kendall Jenner in Adanola capri leggings and Eva flats from The Row.
At the same time, at the Chloé spring-summer 2026 show, Alexa Chung wore a denim capri with a white shirt, short coat, leather belt, pumps and black Paddington bag. A reminder that these pants could be chic.
Why the capri ballerina pants combo has long been scary
In fashion circles, there was an unwritten rule circulating: to get the “right” look, you needed heels, even a discreet kitten heel. Capris had the reputation of not flattering the figure, and adding a flat shoe was worrying.
At Who What Wear, the journalist says that she lived by this rule, just like her colleagues, to the point of having developed an aversion to the combination of capri pants and ballerinas. For her, the ideal equation remained a heeled sandal or mule, never a simple flat.
How Kendall Jenner and The Row broke the rule
The decisive outfit was posted on Instagram: Kendall Jenner poses in Los Angeles in front of a Ferrari 512 TR produced between 1991 and 1996, in a white T-shirt, Adanola capri leggings and Eva ballet flats from The Row with a square toe. The whole thing exudes a 90s energy, clean and cool, in keeping with the vintage car.
In the article, the journalist describes Kendall’s outfit as “glorified” sportswear, much more polished than a gym silhouette. She says the key is sleek ballet flats with square or pointed toes that visually elongate the foot, creating a more slender effect than round-toed styles.
Adopt capri pants with ballerinas in quiet luxury mode
This reversal is part of the rise of quiet luxury, discreet luxury that shuns logos and focuses on impeccable cuts. The movement gained visibility in early 2023, when Gwyneth Paltrow arrived in court every day for her 2016 skiing accident in sober looks by The Row, Prada and Ralph Lauren.
Since then, prominent girls like Kylie Jenner or the Olsen sisters have adopted this tidy wardrobe, as have houses Jil Sander, Bottega Veneta, Khaite and The Row which draw its contours. In this context, the capri ballerina pants duo is essential: we can imagine Alexa Chung’s denim capri, white shirt and short coat with a minimalist ballerina, or copy the Adanola capri leggings and Kendall Jenner’s Eva flats for a chic sportswear version.
How to match capri pants and ballerinas?
Choose a crisp capri and an elegant ballerina, ideally with a square or pointed toe.
Which model of ballerinas recalls The Row?
Choose minimalist leather flats, without a visible logo, with an elongated foot line.
Is the ballerina capri pants combo suitable for the office?
Yes, with a structured top and sober colors, close to those of the pants.
