Fashion's Best Kept Secret Right Now Is Ralph Lauren's Polo Shoes

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ralph lauren polo shoes

(Image credit: courtesy of ralph lauren)

The other day I ran into a stylist friend downtown. She was wearing a pair of white pony-hair high-top sneakers with split soles. They were the kind of sneakers that would sway even me, someone who is typically sneakers-averse. When I asked her where they were from, nothing could have prepared me for the answer: Ralph Lauren Polo.

It's not that I wouldn't expect Ralph Lauren Polo to make great things, it's just that I can't remember the last time I've ever considered the brand as a destination for cool footwear. For the perfect worn-in looking cable knit sweater or elegant denim maxi dress, sure. But shoes? Especially ones that looked like a fuzzy cross between ballerina flats and boxing shoes? Definitely not.

ralph lauren polo shoes

(Image credit: Courtesy of Ralph Lauren)

I immediately went home and checked out the footwear section of the brand's website. The high-top pony ballerina sneakers that made me swoon were there but nearly sold out in every size. I was upset by the fact that I couldn't own them anytime soon, but even more so by the fact that seemingly everyone knew about them but me.

Courtesy of Ralph Lauren polo shoes

(Image credit: Courtesy of Ralph Lauren polo shoes)

As I continued to peruse the shoe section, I spotted incredible style after incredible style. My friend's shoes weren't a one-hit wonder. There was the metallic leather pony ballerina sneaker, a shorter, shinier version of my friend's. There were canvas Mary Jane espadrilles, a funky take on the classic Spanish style with fantastic contrast stitch work. There were also leather ballet flats, a pointy bowed take that I'm surprised hasn't gone viral.

As it turns out, after a little digging, I saw that designer Mari Giudicelli (who used to have her own fantastic cult loved IYKYK shoe line) is now with the brand. It all started to make sense. The only thing I am still confused about is how these shoes haven't gone viral. If I had to guess, it's that the fashion girls in the know are gatekeeping. Considering plenty of options are sold out, they're valid for that.

But if you want to get ahead of what I'm sure will be everywhere in no time, invest in some pairs of Ralph Lauren Polo shoes now.

Shop Ralph Lauren Polo shoes:

Tara Gonzalez
Tara Gonzalez
Senior Fashion Social Editor

Tara Gonzalez is a senior fashion and social editor at WhoWhatWear. where she is interested in exploring the intersection of fashion and culture and why we are drawn to wearing the things we wear and what that says about the world we live in. Previously she worked as a senior fashion editor at Harper's Bazaar. When she isn't writing trend deep dives for WWW, she's working on her newsletter on Substack, Cult Classic, which explores the very best fashion in film and television. She has a degree in creative writing from The University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Brooklyn with her boyfriend and pug Bjork, the later of which has a very extensive collection of dog-sized Sandy Liang sweaters.