A Fashion Girl's Honest Thoughts After Wearing the Tory Burch Claire Ballet Flats

After seeing the Tory Burch Spring/Summer 2025 show, I was hooked on a certain shoe. Seeing photos of the reimagined Reva flat gracing the same runway as Alexa Chung was something I had not expected. I loved seeing the shoe I had long associated with a Parent Teacher Association president given a new life. The Revas are truly nostalgic to my days sitting in the back of a minivan, and I decided, after seeing the Spring/Summer 2025 show they were a piece that could not simply live in my memory. I took my Tory Burch Claires (the reimagined Reva that launched in 2023) for a spin around the streets of Downtown Manhattan.

I can't write about the Reva (Claire) without mentioning the host of Neverworns and former Vogue writer, Liana Satenstein, who has been the off-the-runway leader of the "Toryssance," or shall I say for the purpose of this article "Revassance." Satenstein's Instagram and Substack serve as a place where fashion glossy junkies obsessed with the heyday of print magazine trends can convene around a singular chunky knit Gap sweater from 2000 or of course, the Tory Burch Reva. Imagining the Reva gracing the feet of throngs of style editors hailing cabs to Mercedes Benz Fashion Week brings a tingle down my spine.

Sure, it is a period of style many would consider gauche, but in terms of trend cycling statistics, a shoe like the Tory Burch Reva is likely on the rise. No wonder I feel how I do about my Claire flats, which normally retail for $248 but are currently on sale for $159. Keep scrolling for my honest review of the ballet flat, with notes on fit and style.

What I Like About My Tory Burch Claire Ballet Flats

I have been pounding pavement in my Claires. Seeing as it's February and New York feels like an icebox, ballet flats have not been my go-to to brave the elements. But for the sake of research, I grabbed some pale pink socks and took my ballet flats out for a spin. (Socks with heels are a great way to style the shoe in winter months.) I threw on my Mel by Re/Done jeans, a plain tee, a vintage red bolero, and some Ray-Ban Wayfarer Classics, and I stepped out the door feeling like the coolest. The Claires kept up with my peripatetic lifestyle, though I am equally as excited to incorporate them into my spring and summer rotation with colorful tights or capris as temperatures rise. 

For some, a shoe that reminds them of their mother waiting in the dance class lobby reading a Nora Ephron book might not be a look, but for me and fellow observers of the "Toryssance," Claires are the latest runway trend and are well worth the investment. Plus, they're very cooly named after Claire McCardell, the American designer behind ballet flats.

Cons: They Require a Keen Styling Eye

These ballet flats were incorporated seamlessly into the Spring/Summer 2025 collection because of the other modern elements in each ensemble. Both runway looks above have the Claires styled with loose drawstring pants, offsetting how the Revas have been known to be styled with tight slacks or skinny jeans. Similar to the Isabel Marant wedge sneaker trend, it is likely the Gen Z adopters of the shoe aren't wearing these kicks how their mothers did, despite loving them just as much. I styled my Tory Burch Claires with baggy pants, but as temperatures rise I will have to reconsider how these fit into my summer wardrobe. At least, on a wearability level, there is a reason these shoes were so popular in the corporate world: They are comfortable and worth the investment for those on the go. 

Final Thoughts

Mandy Lee (@oldloserinbrooklyn) promptly hypothesized the return of a shoe like the Reva in her Substack article "25 2025 Fashion Industry + Trend Predictions." She wrote about looking at the Revas through fashion historian James Laver's law. The rule lays the foundation for an understanding of the trend cycle as a timeline for a piece going from being considered indecent, smart, to hideous, then charming, eventually landing at beautiful in a matter of 150 years. Lee points out how social media plays a huge role in speeding up a standardized 20-year trend cycle, with different aesthetics and trends going out just as quickly as they appear in the algorithm.

The Reva might still be on a stage where a general audience would consider them to be, in Laver's wording, ridiculous, though with tastemakers like Satenstein sharing that she sports her Revas around town, and their styling on the runway, there is a growing modern fanbase for the shoe. After all, quiet luxury seems to be dimming and balletcore is still holding its ground, creating the perfect environment for more Tory Burch Claire fans to emerge.