One of my favorite kinds of texts to get as a fashion editor is a series of blurry, barely legible images of accessories or garments one of my friends is desperately trying to identify. Sometimes, they’re rogue images of strangers taken on the street. Other times, they’re screenshots from social media. I usually get a variation of these questions: “What brand is this?” “Where can I get something similar?” “Is this vintage?” It’s cool to think they trust me so much—and fun to try and play a game of fashion clue.
It’s also nice when they send me something I instantly know the answer to because we both get some immediate gratification. I can pat myself on the back for knowing exactly what the item is, and they can get the answer to their question instantly. This happened a handful of times when Chloë Sevigny wore a pair of chunky black lace-up ballerina flats on repeat for the past couple of months. The exact pair were Ecco Biom C-Trails, designed by her friend and former Chloé Creative Director Natacha Ramsay-Levi.
I had multiple friends reach out to me to ask if I knew anything about the shoes. I told them yes, every time, and gave them the details while simultaneously expressing my dismay. When I saw Sevigny wearing them for the first time myself, I did a deep dive to immediately discover who made them. After I found out, I tried to buy a pair—only to realize Sevigny had already sold them out. So my texts to inquiring minds would go something like: “Yes, they’re by Ecco. They’re only $250, but sold out. I would know. I need them desperately.”
Now, the shoes are finally back in stock after what feels like an eternity—and in a new white colorway, too. Sevigny is also modeling the shoes formally for the brand’s latest Icons That Last campaign. When I spoke to her earlier this week about it, she told me it all came about very naturally. She already loved the shoes.
“The company noticed that I kept getting photographed in the shoes,” she told me. “There was a lot of interest. They saw that as an opportunity to reach a certain audience that maybe they didn’t have. They asked me to do [the campaign], and I brought my friends. Haley Wollens styled it, and Brianna Capozzi took the pictures. We just wanted to make fun pictures. They were a bit sexy… we want to sell a fashion fantasy, which we love and totally buy into. We went to L.A. and shot at this crazy house, and it was super fun.”
As for the newest shoes from the spring/summer 2025 collection that just dropped, she’s, of course, most excited for the pale colorway of the ballerina she wears most. “I’ve always kind of fallen back on a black shoe to anchor an outfit. And I think it will be a bright new look for me to kind of have this pale, toned shoe to lighten every outfit… it’s going to be a fun kind of challenge. A new thing for me!”
And while she is a style icon for always wearing things in unexpected ways that feel so singular to Sevigny specifically, she values practicality. It’s probably why she looks so cool all the time—because she’s wearing items she truly lives in. She isn’t doing it to look a certain way. She’s wearing things to be herself. It’s effortless.
She explained to me that she’s always drawn to shoes she can be comfortable in. “That’s what gives you the most confidence. Ecco made an incredible heavy boot that I was wearing all winter that had a little extra heel—it kept you elevated off the ground, kept you warm, and it was comfortable to be in! It wasn’t making my feet sore. And that just grounds an outfit for me.”
The process of picking out what shoe she’s going to wear that day is just as pragmatic. “It’s always weather first, and then thinking about what I’ll be doing. Am I walking a lot? Am I going to the playground? Do I have to run around? Am I going up and down the subway? Or am I just getting into my car? It’s very much like, what are my activities that day, and what’s the weather going to be? That’s what’s so good about Ecco, because they can be for anything. There’s versatility. If something unexpected happens, you can kind of be ready.”
Now that the chunky Ecco ballerina shoes are back, I'm the one sending out the texts to everyone I know like a town crier: "They're back! They're here!" But with Chloë at the center of the campaign, everyone will just know where they're from, no inquiring texts needed.
Shop Chloë's Favorite Ecco Biom C-Trails
Shop the Rest of the Spring/Summer 2025 Collection
