“Marie Antoinette” and “Bridgerton“-inspired footwear are inspiring the newest footwear that New York Metropolis fashionistas are strutting down the Large Apple sidewalks in, treating them just like the queen’s ballroom.
With the standard interval drama‘s Season 4 Half 2 touchdown on Netflix Thursday, Feb. 26, followers are getting into off-screen fantasies by sporting dainty, “coquette” Regency-era (1811–1820) footwear that blend romance, drama, and a contact of sass from shops like Higher West Aspect’s Sole, West Village’s Screaming Mimi’s and John Fluevog Footwear in Soho and Dumbo.
Assume satin bows, pastel silks and Versailles-worthy elaborations paired with Regencycore heels — proof that in NYC, Marie Antoinette’s closet is alive and properly.
With two NYC shops in Soho and Brooklyn, shoe designer Fluevog has emerged because the crown jewel for Regency-loving fashionistas, with followers buzzing over pairs just like the Bishop Buckled Idler Heels ($449), Sabrina Lace-ups ($349) and Zoe Lace-up Heels with Embroidery ($399).
Arabella Barros, artistic director for John Fluevog Footwear, says the latest obsession with Regency-era footwear is extra than simply about sporting fairly footwear.
“Individuals are craving romance once more, not simply visually, however emotionally,” she informed The Submit, including {that a} “Regency-inspired” shoe lets somebody “stroll by trendy life whereas carrying a little bit of daydream.”
“It’s not about escaping actuality; it’s about including softness, persona, and whimsy again into on a regular basis dressing.”
Barros notes that 2026 buyers are gravitating towards “spherical toes and extra female silhouettes, ornate buckles and textiles.”
Different parts like “a fragile ribbon paired with a daring sole, or embroidery combined with sudden shade” are additionally en vogue. “It’s that stress between softness and power that feels very now,” she careworn to The Submit.
Barros provides that Fluevog’s historic inspiration is at all times filtered by “a contemporary, barely rebellious lens,” imagining “what a personality from one other century would put on in the event that they stepped into right now’s metropolis.”
Based in Vancouver in 1970, the model turned an ’80s/’90s cult favourite within the Large Apple for its quirky, Artwork Deco-leaning kinds and cheeky sole messages.
Whereas the model has been round for years, reveals like “Bridgerton” assist introduce Fluevog to youthful generations.
And having a star fanbase doesn’t harm, both.
Broadway darling Gracie Lawrence slipped into Fluevog’s retro Sorsha pumps on the Grammys this month, whereas Woman Gaga stomped round her “Mayhem Ball” stage within the model’s vintage-leaning Chaminade boots, full with their signature Swordfish toe.
Sartorial influencer and Regencycore kick fan Cachita Maki says that there’s a broader shift again towards “romance, craftsmanship and femininity” after “years of athleisure.”
“Exhibits like Bridgerton have reintroduced audiences to the fantastic thing about historic costume. There’s magnificence past [2020s post-COVID] athleisure,” she informed The Submit.
As a fan, she provides that she sees ribbon laces, bows, and mushy sq. or almond toes flying off retailer cabinets in NYC and LA, and that “trendy lace-up ballet flats, ribbon-tied heels, and embellished Mary Janes greatest seize the Regencycore aesthetic right now.”
“These are footwear that really feel timeless and transportive, but fully wearable on the streets of New York or Los Angeles,” she stated.
Trend historian Jessie Frances agrees that in right now’s world, one thing like whimsical footwear can function an escape from actuality.
“All of us want an escape. ‘Bridgerton’ has completed simply that, supplied a bridge for all who’re prepared to tastefully, if just for a second, exit our actuality,” she informed The Submit.
She factors to kitten heels, lace-ups, and sq. toes as the final word Regencycore staples: “All of those parts really feel secure and mushy. Lace is intimately related to wealth, standing, and sensuality.”
And with regards to right now’s greatest captures of the Regencycore aesthetic, she doesn’t hesitate: “John Fluevog with out query. The second I entered the store, I immediately felt that I used to be transported to the set [of Bridgerton].”
