‘Return of the pump’: Classic heel loved by Zendaya back in style
It might be high time to kick your flats to the curb.
The classic pump — typically reserved for boardroom execs in pencil skirts and blazers — is expected to reign as 2025’s “It” shoe after years of sneakers and ballet flats dominating the trend cycle.
The shoe’s proliferation in celebrity style and catwalk collections has prompted predictions about the heel’s eminent revival, which trend forecaster and content creator Mandy Lee calls “the return of the pump.”
“It’s like a slight pointed toe, it’s maybe a three-inch pump,” Lee, better known as @oldloserinbrooklyn online, told The Post. “We’re not talking about a five-inch [Christian Louboutin] So Kate or anything, but I have been seeing the return of that classic, not-too-much, not-too-kitten-heel pump.”
The elegant footwear — donned by royals such as Princess Diana and Kate Middleton, who seems particularly fond of her Gianvito Rossi “Gianvito 105″s, which she owns in multiple colors — is getting a cool girl rebrand and taking over red carpets, runways and front rows alike.
This week, fashion tastemakers Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber stepped out for dinner in Santa Monica both sporting iterations of the humble high heel, Jenner wearing a lower style shoe while Bieber donned a pair with a stiletto heel.
While Zendaya was recently spotted in her hallmark Louis Vuitton So Kates, the “Challengers” actress graced the Golden Globes red carpet in a pair of silk pumps that matched her orange gown.
That same evening, the award show step-and-repeat was riddled with the understated shoe worn by A-listers, who might otherwise wear painfully tall, strappy heels for their photo-ops.
“Wicked” star Ariana Grande channeled Audrey Hepburn in vintage Givenchy and matching satin pumps, while Angelina Jolie and Kerry Washington paired their dresses with similar pointed-toe heels.
Meanwhile, Tory Burch’s spring/summer 2025 New York Fashion Week show saw a star-studded front row donning the label’s edgy take on the classic heel — the pierced pump, the viral footwear that Elle dubbed the “coolest shoe.”
Not to mention, peep toe pumps proliferated on runways namely, from “It” girl brands like Khaite, Tory Burch, Miu Miu and Alaïa.
The pump renaissance arrives amid a revival of traditional corporate attire rebranded with a bit of sex appeal, as “corp-core” and “office siren” aesthetics usher in a wave of spec-wearing fashionistas opting for button-ups, blazers and pencil skirts.
“I think it’s like, for signaling purposes,” Lee said. “It’s like, ‘I want to be taken seriously.’”
The trend — proceeded by a rise in kitten heels — also comes after years of wearing mesh flats and dad sneakers, comfort footwear popularized during a post-pandemic slump in heel sales.
“It’s been a few years since we’ve really seen the pump have its moment, at least in trends,” Lee said, adding the signature shoe is a staple for “many different groups of people.”
“Businesswomen — they’re rocking a pump, even though flats have been very popular the last couple of years,” she explained.
