Mitchell stars in this campaign alongside her partner, Matte Babel, and their children, Atlas and Rome, to illustrate the “planning, chaos, and joy of travel,” according to the press release.
So whether you have your own international family vacation planned for the summer… or a road trip with your best friends… or a solo hotel staycation, this collection of travel-ready outfits and bags will get you from A to Z in style.
What do you get when you combine two beloved fashion items? Sometimes greatness (see: the skort, the jort, and the entire concept of athleisure), but often it results in bizarre flash-in-the-pan moments (remember the coatigan? No, neither did I until writing this piece). Thankfully, the latest hybrid trend taking over the fashion world sits firmly in the former camp. Say hello to the sneakerina, a mash-up that balances all the signature grace and poise of the classic ballet shoe with the comfort and grip of your favorite functional trainer. It’s a dream come true for those of us with fond memories of the 2010s twee phenomenon, but an adult need for more arch support.
Unsurprisingly, we can thank the queen of high femme fashion, Simone Rocha, for kickstarting the sneakerina trend back in spring/summer 2020 with her “ballet tracker” platforms. Since then, she’s been joined by both luxury designers and sports brands alike — from kitten heel sneakers at Miu Miu to satin-topped, trek-soled Aura flats at Rombaut, to sold-out collaborations between Sandy Liang and Salomon, Cecilie Bahnsen and Asics, and Onitsuka Tiger and Patou.
There are many different variations of the trend to satisfy every style — from dainty, satin slipper designs with grippy rubber soles to sportier versions with mesh panels, top-stitched detailing, elastic straps, turbo-charged platforms, eyelet lacing, and toe caps. Naturally, these come on the foot of last year’s coquette trend and, before that, the rise of balletcore, but they reimagine the hyper feminine look to be more functional. These shoes are made for city streets and long days on your feet. Essentially, it’s the viral “wrong shoe” theory in motion, wherein you purposely wear shoes that might be considered antithetical to your outfit to create a more interesting look. This time, though, it’s the shoe itself that is the contradiction.
Have I convinced you yet? If not, perhaps this selection will — all the best sneakerina shoes on the market at every price point.
Mary Jane Ballet Sneakers
Prim and proper or punk and platform, the humble Mary Jane has had quite the moment in recent years, and that isn’t changing anytime soon, thanks to these sporty trainer-infused styles. Puma’s Speedcat Ballerina in particular is the third buzziest product of early 2025, according to the Lyst Q1 Index Report, and has the seal of approval from Dua Lipa and Emily Ratajkowski. This design is the perfect balance of both styles: a classic ballerina silhouette adorned with sporty, racing shoe signatures (complete with an embroidered Puma logo). Opt for the silver colorway to tick off another key 2025 sneaker trend.
For a similar vibe, I found plenty of slim-fit options, from the luxury (Miu Miu) to the more affordable (Bershka). Alternatively, if you prefer a chunkier shoe, Ash’s Rolls Sneakers come out on top. They’re just like your typical techy, Y2K dad sneaker, but with that strappy, Mary Jane twist.
Lace-Up Ballet Sneakers
If the name doesn’t give it away, Adidas’ Taekwondo Mei Shoe (first introduced in 1988) is a reinterpretation of the original martial arts footwear. Functionally, taekwondo and ballerina shoes have always been very similar: slim-fitted with a slightly pointed toe, made with super-soft leather that molds to the foot, and designed to keep your soles close to the floor. Where this version differs from a modern-day ballet flat is that the rubber outsole better protects your feet from the ground, and the slightly padded, textile-lined insole adds more cushioning and support. Throw in the combination of lace-up fastenings and the brand’s iconic three-stripe design, and you have the ultimate all-occasions shoe that works equally well with a dainty dress for date night or with sweats when running errands.
Adidas isn’t the only destination for stylish, functional lace-up styles. From Axel Arigato’s chunky stompers to Lazy Oaf’s delicate treads, there are options out there for everyone — and you don’t have to opt for a lace-up-the-leg look either. JW Pei has created a stylish alternative that even the biggest ballet flat skeptic could love.
Mesh Ballet Sneakers
Mesh footwear was at its peak last summer, and it isn’t going away soon. This season, the light, airy, and breathable style lends itself perfectly to the sporty sneakerina trend. Unlike 2024’s sheer organza versions, many of this year’s designs feature a heavier, net-like weave.
Platform Ballet Sneakers
Adopting the statement soles and extra inches you usually find on chunky Y2K sneakers and utilitarian trainers, these sneakerina shoes give you all the boost you need, without compromising on comfort.
Satin Ballet Sneakers
Satin ballet shoes are perhaps the most archetypal of the style — conjuring up images of prima ballerinas performing in full costume as princesses, swans, and sugar plum fairies. It’s a tactile fabric that nods to luxury and glamour, and when paired with practical, sporty elements, it creates a pronounced juxtaposition. When choosing your outfit, let these satin sneakerina shoes do the work for you — they’ll make a statement no matter what.
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For Clueless costume designer Mona May, there’s a psychology to crafting a character’s wardrobe. “I think authenticity is one of the most important things when you design costumes, to make sure these characters feel real, and not just like talking Barbies,” she tells Refinery29. “You want the audience to leave the theater and feel like, ‘There was something about that character that felt like me.’”
For a film as far-fetched as the 1995 classic, starring Alicia Silverstone as a spoiled Beverly Hills high school student, grounding the characters in reality was crucial. Yes, these affluent teenagers had access to runway fashion and daddy’s credit card, but May also wanted to portray girls who loved the mall and were youthful and vibrant.
While May — whose book The Fashion of Clueless is coming out in October — had no idea what a cultural phenomenon the movie, which celebrates 30 years this month, would become, she knew the costumes were crucial to the storytelling. From the introductory shot — which showed a montage of glitzy high schoolers poolside, cruising in high-end cars, and shopping in their finest threads — fashion was the focus. “It was colorful, it was California, it was high-fashion, it was teenage fun. It had to immediately grab your eye,” she says.
Pulling together thousands of costumes — 63 of them belonging to Cher (Silverstone) alone — on a $200k budget was no small task, according to May: “[We had to find] every headpiece, every backpack, every pair of sunglasses, every piece of jewelry seen. I don’t even know how I did it, seriously, but we just went for it.” She emphasizes that the film was made in the mid-‘90s, before social media made it easy to discover and access fashion. “It was just the beginning of computers and cell phones, so my research was different. People behaved differently. There was a certain kind of innocence to the time as well,” she says.
Because of that, May felt it was important to establish sartorial social cues (ie: graphic tees for the skaters, exposed slip and stockings with runs for a scattered teacher, etc.), as well bring attention to culturally relevant designer labels (the Calvin Klein slip dress that Cher’s dad refers to as “underwear,” and “totally important designer” Alaïa dress) to the audience not privy to Melrose Avenue.
Because the cast was fairly unknown at the time, there were no giant “PR machines” sending boxes from fashion houses to dress the actors. Still, May enlisted luxury labels for looks such as Cher’s iconic yellow plaid skirt set by Jean Paul Gaultier, along with pieces from Fred Segal and Anna Sui. She also pulled pieces from secondhand stores, army surplus shops, and then-popular mall brands: Body Glove, Roxy, BCBG, Gap, American Rag, Esprit, Vertigo, and Wet Seal (RIP). By combining designer names with mall mainstays, May says she was able to bring out the multifacetedness of each character.
“Dionne [played by Stacey Dash] is a really good example of that. She wears a lot of different things, from high-end Chanel to the leopard jacket that was thrifted and the vinyl skirt that was from a rave store on Melrose,” May explains. Cher also embodied the juxtaposition, sporting preppy co-ords as much as she did cap-sleeved dresses, while also dipping into the soft grunge looks popular at the time, like her layered black sheer top and chunky jewelry. “She’s not just one kind of girl. She’s good-hearted, discerning, but can also be a bit of a mean girl, too.”
May believes the style holds strongly three decades later because, in many ways, the cult classic was ahead of its time. The movie was nuanced in its portrayal of teenage girls, who were fashion-obsessed and naive, but also quick-witted and opinionated. There was a complexity to them — one May felt a responsibility to translate through their clothing. “It was hard to make that movie,” she says. “[Director] Amy [Heckerling] said that many studios passed on it because they didn’t want girls to talk like this. They wanted movies about boys. It was important to introduce young girls speaking that way: being smart, being self-assured, and knowing what they want. Smart girls deserved smart clothes.”
May made sure that the outfits reflected each of the characters’ personalities: Dionne’s bold accessories and prints spoke to her spunky personality, Cher’s meticulously coordinated shoes and outfits spoke to her perfectionism. Meanwhile, Tai (Brittany Murphy) had an evolving wardrobe — which went from baggy flannels and graphic tees at the beginning of the film to Cher-approved plaids and finally a happy grunge-meets-girly medium — that spoke to her journey of losing, rediscovering, and coming into herself.
With so many characters to dress, the looks had to work together as well, like Cher and Dionne’s coordinated school looks. On one hand, it brought to mind a familiar scenario of phoning your friend to plan outfits the night before school and, on the other, it symbolized that the two were counterparts. “Throughout the film, I wanted to make sure that they were equally fashionable, equally important,” says May.
Given that the film was set in Southern California, May felt it was important to also portray the many subcultures, from the posh upper echelon to skaters, stoners, and the business-casual kids who took themselves too seriously. Though they were all living in this platinum credit card world, Dionne’s and Murray’s style, for example, was culturally relevant for Black American teenagers at the time, with the Kangol hats, leopard print, and gold jewelry. May accomplished this authenticity by working with each actor to build the character’s wardrobe together.
Dash, for example, was slightly older, from New York, and had a strong sense of personal style, which played a huge role in constructing her character’s look. In turn, according to May, “Murray [Donald Faison’s character] had to look really good too, because she would never date a slacker.”
The same care was extended to Christian Stovitz (Justin Walker), the suave transfer student from Chicago, who we later find out is gay. May wanted the clothing to lead with his personality and interests — like fashion, which resulted in him wearing hats, a blue tuxedo, and slicked-back hair — and not be a reductive version of what a gay character might “look” like (which wasn’t a given at the time for the industry).
The fashion in Clueless cemented May’s signature style across all her works — which later included other cult classics like Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion and Never Been Kissed — and gave the movie its staying power. It’s the reason why not a single Halloween goes by without a Cher and Dionne recreation, why clothing collections in 1995 and thereafter exploded with Clueless-inspired threads, and why 30 years later, we are still celebrating the film that introduced Alaïa into many of our vocabularies.
“It’s just incredible that this movie has lived in so many people’s hearts. It’s changed them and made them feel good. I’m so proud, I’ll have a pink bow on my grave.”
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If you’ve ever peeped Sydeon’s Instagram feed, you know her love for New Balance isn’t just for show. So it tracks that the Twitch streamer and content creator has officially joined the brand as its second gaming ambassador — and she’s already putting in the work.
“I have put all of my friends onto this shoe. It’s the 1906L. It’s like a sneaker loafer,” the creator and Twitch streamer tells me. “It was one of the first things that I asked for when [New Balance and I] started talking about our partnership. I was like, ‘Look, the shoe is sold out everywhere. I can’t find it in any of the colorways. If you happen to have an extra one, like please.’” Her excitement is so convincing that mid-answer I find myself (somewhat unprofessionally) Googling this mythical mashup of footwear. Yes, it is cool. And now I want a pair, I tell her.
Consider me influenced.
Authentic brand–creator partnerships are like a good outfit: effortless, memorable, and sells itself. For Sydeon, although she’s made a name for herself streaming gameplay on Twitch, her content has always reflected her broader interests in fashion and lifestyle, whether she’s cosplaying as Rogue from X-Men, giving a wig tutorial, or travel vlogging foodie adventures overseas. Which makes it that much easier for a brand like New Balance to sign on. “New Balance has this really unique outlook on their brand and on culture and just craftsmanship and individualism and all those things,” Sydeon says, “and I think that kind of lined up with me as a streamer as well.”
Ahead, Sydeon shares her thoughts on personal style, makes the case that cosplayis fashion, and offers tips on how to successfully partner with brands.
Refinery29: How would you describe your personal style and how does it align with New Balance?
I like to mix a lot of different things. I really love both feminine and masculine pieces together so I’ll wear a really cute frilly top and then baggy pants and sneakers. I also really just go based off of mood. Sometimes I want a sort of athleisure look and sometimes I want to be really feminine and have lots of floral pieces. So it’s kind of all over the place, like, I would say, I am as a content creator.
New Balance is just all about being authentic, being yourself, being an individual, and they have so many different pieces that fit that mold. You have something like a sneaker loafer and then you have your everyday walking shoe, and then you also have really functional things for hiking or for basketball or whatever it is. New Balance has something for everyone and I like to be a little bit of everything in my personal style.
More and more brands are getting into the world of gaming. Where do you see that intersection of fashion and gaming going?
I think the intersection of fashion and gaming is really at the beginning of its peak. There are so many gamers and content creators who have such a love for fashion and a lot of gamers and content creators are becoming more mainstream. You see people who have loved games and have maybe been quiet about them in the past because it wasn’t as cool, and you find out now that everybody has loved games as much as they have loved fashion and sports and stuff. It feels like it’s become one of the mainstream things now, which is really exciting because you get opportunities like this with New Balance.
I feel like some people who aren’t in the world of anime or cosplay or gaming see cosplay as more costume than fashion or art. To those haters or skeptics, how would you defend cosplay as fashion?
I think cosplay is self-expression in a very niche form. Oftentimes people look at cosplay and they’re like, “Oh, you’re just dressing up in costumes, but it’s not Halloween.” Yada yada. Cosplay for me and for a lot of other people is craftsmanship. It is sitting down for hours and working on something, building something from hand, from scratch, altering things and I think a lot of people kind of forego the idea cuz it feels like silly costumes, but it takes a lot of the same craftsmanship as fashion does. Some of my favorite cosplayers do cosplay in a way that really meshes well with fashion because they’ll take their character and then [remake it]. What if this was casual? What if they were just wearing something on the street? What would they look like?
Who are some of your favorite cosplayers?
One of my favorites since the dawn of time is Snitchery and she’s one of my favorite people to watch change throughout the industry. I’ve been following her probably since like 2018 or something like that and I remember she used to do just portrait cosplay and now I’m seeing her at every world premiere for every movie and she always comes dressed according to the movie but in a fashion sense.
Method dressing!
Yeah! Then of course Stella Chu is another cosplayer I love. She’s in LA and she’s worked with me before on cosplay. She’s really sweet and she’s super talented. Like her warehouse is just full of 3D printers and stuff everywhere.
I’d love to get your two cents as someone who has built a career off of creating and streaming. Once you’ve built that community, how do you branch out from your usual lane with a new partnership or a new project that’s maybe outside of how your audience usually knows you?
I think it’s really important to explore a lot of different avenues and I think that I’m lucky that my personality just has always allowed me to do that. I think it’s a little bit scary when it feels like, ‘Oh, my audience is so used to me sitting down and playing the same game every day for 12 hours. What are they going to think when they find out that I’ve partnered with a brand like New Balance?’ Where it’s like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know you were interested in that kind of thing.’ Except my community definitely knows. I talk about fashion and sneakers and stuff like that all the time.
But maybe if a community wasn’t [aware], I think it’s just fun to challenge yourself and challenge the people around you, your community, and I think you’d be really surprised how many people are interested in the same things as you. Because people are multi-faceted. They might enjoy gaming, but they probably enjoy so many other things and I think it’s always worth taking the risk. And even if it doesn’t work out, you tried something that was authentic to you and that’s what matters the most.
What are some tips you have for creators who are looking to work more with brands?
For a creator who’s looking to work more with brands, obviously being brand-friendly is one of those pretty important things. I think if that falls in line with who you are as a creator, then it’s great to be on that route. I think that when you are yourself and your genuine interests are out there, brands will take notice. I’m not a brand, but if I were, I would probably be really excited if I saw someone who was genuinely excited about what I already do, you know?
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. For more stories like this, sign up for ourGood Game newsletter.
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