Jennifer Lawrence’s New It Sneaker Is Barely a Sneaker at All

Once again, Jennifer Lawrence is leagues ahead of the rest of us when it comes to her footwear.

If you’ve been paying attention to sneaker trends, you may have seen it: how sneakers are becoming slimmer and slimmer, something more akin to a soccer cleat or a ballet flat than the chunky, platform styles of yesteryear. It feels as though eventually they’ll be nothing more than a thin rubber coating strapped under a bare foot.

Lawrence’s “sneakers” are almost there. The actor stepped out in New York City on July 16 in her trusty pair of Wales Bonner Mary Jane sneakers, sort of a ballet flat-sneaker hybrid with a thick elastic strap and Velcro closure. Viewed in side profile, gum sole hugs the arch of the foot, giving the whole thing the look of a rock-climbing or cycling shoe.

The actor styled her Mary Jane sneakers with red trousers (the hems of which drag on the floor, in true JLaw fashion), a Picasso print T-shirt layered under a cobalt blue cardigan, which she’d tied around her shoulders, and a floppy black bucket hat pulled low over her face. She swapped out her favorite satchels from The Row and Fendi for a cream colored mesh tote bag. This is a look for a woman on the move.

In terms of shoe trends, the 34-year-old is always one step ahead of the curve. She was an early adopter of Alaïa’s mesh flats, as well as The Row’s sheer slippers—both of which became the must-have shoes of the past few seasons. And while we might balk at the price tag of her flip-flops (yes, those are $700 thong sandals), there’s no denying that if Jennifer Lawrence wears a certain style, it’s soon to become A Thing. She’s like the weather man of shoe trends. Stick with her and you’ll be alright.