How to Style Mesh Heels in Your 40s

Anne Hathaway, Zoë Saldaña and Emily Blunt have offered a few ideas for how women in their 40s can style mesh heels and other semi-sheer footwear. Loose trousers work. So do tailoring and full-length gowns. Brandy, Jenna Dewan and Lake Bell have supplied a few more options.

Mesh shoes took off as ballet flats, thanks in large part to Alaïa’s fishnet pair, which has become one of the mesh staples in Hathaway’s maternity shoe style. Pumps, slingbacks and mary janes followed. Mesh reveals more of the foot than leather without the glossy finish of PVC or TPU, a popular material that has helped the adjacent clear shoe trend endure.

Ahead, see how celebrities in their 40s are styling the mesh shoe trend.

Pair Mesh Shoes With Relaxed Pants

Hathaway, 43, took the flat route in New York on July 1. Her black Alaïa ballet flats featured fishnet uppers, patent leather trim rounded toes and a buckled strap that crossed her foot. She paired them with fluid navy La Ligne trouser, an ATM top and an open-knit Brunello Cucinelli jacket.

Two weeks later, she was spotted in the brand’s white Fishnet Ballerina Pumps, which featured a Mary Jane strap and a 55mm block heel. She paired the mesh heels with chartreuse drawstring pants, a kiwi-colored cardigan and a white tank.

Dewan, 45, went darker and more casual at the March 31 Los Angeles premiere of “A Love Like This.” She paired light-wash straight-leg jeans with black mesh slingback pumps trimmed in suede, which appeared to be Gianvito Rossi. The mesh kept the pointed silhouette from looking too formal with the denim. A black lace blouse complemented the shoes and finished the look.

Match the Mesh to the Rest of the Look

Brandy, 47, kept everything white at the July 14 premiere of “Descendants: Wicked Wonderland.” Her pumps had sheer mesh uppers, leather trim, pointed toes and slim stilettos. The mesh exposed her bright yellow pedicure, the lone bit of color alongside her sculptural Jovana Louis separates.

Blunt, 43, tried two tonal versions during her “Disclosure Day” press tour. She paired a custom white Alaïa bodysuit and pleated skirt with the house’s white mesh ankle-strap pumps at the June 2 Paris premiere. The shoes featured leather piping and curved heels.

Two days later in London, Blunt selected lilac Stella McCartney stretch-mesh slingback heels with a matching lace gown.

Lake Bell, then 46, selected black floral lace-mesh pumps for the 2026 Independent Spirit Awards on Feb. 15. The pointed stilettos added pattern to her black Norma Kamali fishtail dress without introducing another color.

Use Black Mesh to Make An Outfit’s Color Pop

Saldaña, 48, paired black mesh with burnt-orange velvet at the April 18 Breakthrough Prize ceremony. Her Alaïa pumps featured satin trim, ankle straps and curved heels. The mesh broke up what otherwise would have been another semi-sheer block of black beneath her dress and matching trousers.

Saldaña also included lace in her “Lioness” press wardrobe. She arrived at “The Tonight Show” on July 30 in black Aquazzura Mon Amour pumps with a ruched white Magda Butrym dress before changing into white heels for the interview. One day earlier, she had paired Aquazzura’s black Love Affair mesh pumps with a velvet Balmain dress at the show’s New York premiere.

While mesh shoes are having a moment, their clear counterpart has also endured. Ahead, take a look at how celebrities are styling the clear shoe trend.