The more Bella Hadid steps out in sneakerinas, the less and less divisive the trend starts to look. It's a story as old as time: supermodels managing to make just about anything look appealing. With the ballet flat renaissance well and truly underway, 2025 was the year a less 'palatable' hybrid trainer version came into the mainstream. But, lest we forget, ugly shoes are fashion catnip.
Soon this lovechild was influencing the shape of new sneaker drops and street style spotlights. Goodbye chunky soles and Triple S vibes, hello to the slimline silhouette we loved back in the Seventies, with sporty side stripes, suede uppers and featherweight serrated soles. There's a reason Puma Speedcats, adidas Sambas, Onitsuka Tigers and Miu Miu Plumes are having such a moment.
Now, Vivaia has hopped on this bandwagon with a new take on its cult Cristina shoes. If the original design was delicate and balletic, crafted in lustrous satin and dyed in pastel hues, the new Yancy style is sportier than ever.
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Bella Hadid was spotted out in West Hollywood just this week modelling the creamy 'Natural' shade with tonal Jean Paul Gaultier jeans and a matching denim jacket.
Made from padded Re-Nylon (that's recycled Nylon, for the non Prada-mad out there), the Vivaia Yancy has swooping overstitching and suede panelling, as well as a retro rounded toe. Unlike the candy-coloured Cristinas, this shoe comes in basic black, white, cream and a bold red.
Of course this isn't the first time Bella has been spotted wearing Vivaia. In fact, the shoe brand has the model to thank for its sudden success. While, yes, the direct-to-consumer label has garnered a roster of celebrity fans – Selena Gomez, Julia Roberts, Alexa Chung and Katie Holmes, to name but a few – since its launch five years ago, in 2025 Vivaia entered the big leagues.
Jogger Re-Nylon Sneakerina (Yancy)
Jogger Re-Nylon Sneakerina (Yancy)
Jogger Re-Nylon Sneakerina (Yancy)
When the Cristina sneakerina launched in February, it took less than a month for it to sell out – all thanks to Bella, who was seen wearing a a black pair with a Saint Laurent bag and wool overcoat in early March 2025. Two short weeks later and the Orabella founder was out in sneakerinas yet again: this time in New York, in Vivaia's ivory Cristina with capri leggings and a black Saint Laurent bomber. Cue another sell-out situation.
Naturally, in April of this year, it was impossible to get your hands on a pair. But, luckily, Vivaia has kept the drops coming, with fresh new colourways landing all the time – namely butter yellow for summer and an on-trend burgundy to see you through the autumn season.
Square Toe Sneakerina - Cristina
Square Toe Sneakerina - Cristina
Square Toe Sneakerina - Cristina
We're big fans of the square-toed full vamp Cristina that Bella Hadid and Amelia Gray Hamlin own, but these shoes also come in a more balletic version, the Yanka, for the truly trainer-averse.
Charli XCX has these lower-cut, rounded-toed sneakerinas in pink – she was seen wearing them at Glastonbury and out with friends in NYC.
Round-Toe Satin Sneakerina (Yanka)
Round-Toe Satin Sneakerina (Yanka)
Round-Toe Satin Sneakerina (Yanka)
How To Wear Vivaia's Sneakerinas
As a self-confessed trainer hater, my life changed the day Vivaia's Cristina sneakerinas landed on my desk. I find – believe it or not – classic trainers to be uncomfortable and I hate the silhouette they create. I was partial to a slim Nike Cortez once, but would rather opt for a heeled boot than ever wear a dress with trainers. Then, ballet flats returned and my feet were freed from their clip-clopping prison.
However, there are some outfits that the classic ballet flat can easily take into 'twee' territory, and this is where the sneakerina really comes into its own. That injection of easy athleisure was just what my stripy Ganni midi needed to feel less mumsy (I am a mum, the fear is real), and suddenly my all-black outfits had a cherry on top in the form of low-key flats, not heels.
Capri Leggings
White Alexa Minidress
Reiss Leather Bomber Jacket
You get the gist: sneakerinas are wearable. No one should be intimidated by this shoe. It goes just as well with an unabashedly girlish midi or mini (think Simone Rocha or Cecilie Bahnsen) as it does with streetwear or sleek Skims loungewear.
And, as Bella has proven, it also goes particularly well with this season's favourite capri pant and a relaxed leather bomber (or any bomber jacket for that matter). For extra style points, layer up with the leggings-and-dress combo ELLE UK editors can't stop talking about.
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Abigail Southan is our Senior Fashion Ecommerce Editor and has five years' experience as a writer and editor in the industry. Abigail has a BA in History from the University of Bristol and an MA in Fashion Journalism from Central Saint Martins. Abigail currently covers all things style and shopping across titles including Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, Esquire and Red. On a daily basis, she helps readers buy better with how-to-wear guides, first-person product reviews and deep dives into the latest trends. Previously, Abigail has worked for The Sunday Times’ Style and Fabulous magazine as their first ecommerce writer and was a founding editor of Sun Selects. She has also written for Net-a-Porter, I-D, Man About Town, Wonderland and 1 Granary, and has interviewed the likes of Paris Hilton, Dua Lipa and Christopher Bailey. You can follow Abigail on Instagram at @abigailsouthan.
