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Contrary to common consensus, not all women’s feet swell to the size of pool floats when they’re pregnant. It is entirely possible, as evidenced by Hailey Bieber, to stride into the third trimester in a pair of Jacquemus Cubisto sling-backs and not have to pray to the Band-Aid gods afterwards. Why kneel at the altar of Crocs when Phoebe Philo’s square-toe pumps are, arguably, just as supple?
Bieber—who revealed she was expecting her first child with Justin Bieber when six months pregnant, but said she could have kept her bump entirely a secret owing to that impressive LA muscle tone and a penchant for outsized leather jackets—has flouted every stretchy maternity dressing notion via sheer lace Alessandra Rich jumpsuits and Saint Laurent Zoe sling-backs, custom nude LaQuan Smith dresses and Femme G63 court shoes, and Apres Studio bubble dresses and The Row loafers. Not a single Birkenstock has been witnessed in her edit of Bottega Veneta Astaire Mary-Janes, Sandy Liang ballerinas, Jil Sander ruched slip-ons and chunky Proenza Schouler loafers. Scarcely a sneaker has made it onto her grid—which looks more like a YSL-fueled fashion editorial than a curation of mat-leave mirror selfies—and why should those functional flats get air time?
Hailey Bieber has spoken openly about her cyberchondria—“the Internet is a scary place for a pregnant woman”—so it’s unsurprising that she is safeguarding her personal brand and maintaining a business-as-usual front. For some, self-care style might look like vintage tees and track suits (Adwoa Aboah’s pregnancy looks nail the slouchy brief) or boyfriend denim (check out Adut Akech’s bump-first shoot in Vogue). For Bieber, it’s baby tees, baggy jeans, bodycon and It-girl accessories. Her Insta announcement and baby shower outfits have been entirely extra, but if a pair of vertiginous heels makes Hailey feel grounded as her due date looms, it’s none of our business whether her flip-flops are just out of shot.
This tick list of It-shoes is not to send a person spiraling down a Vestiaire hole or to make anyone pregnant feel bad for leaning into the comfort of a cushioned footbed, but a reminder that personal style is called that for a reason. One person’s Alaïa fishnet pumps are another’s Hoka trainers—pregnant or not.
