Drawing fashion #inspo from the enchanting world of ballet is nothing new – designers have been working tulle into garments both as an outer and under addition for aeons – even the arguably most iconic Sex and the City image sees style maven SJP stepping out in a pale pink tulle tutu. And of course then there’s the ballet flat. Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis both loved a casual cropped pant and ballet flat combo – a slew of their key wardrobe moments (and there were many) were anchored in this comfortable-yet-chic slice of ballerina-fied footwear.
But somewhere between Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the Kardashian’s (social) world domination and yoga pants becoming appropriate office attire the ballet flat got lost. Which resulted in everyone stepping out in either sky-high stillettos or cool-kid kicks. Both have their pros and cons. The sky high does all kinds of gorgeous leg lengthening trickery – but on the downside after approximately one-to-two minutes of wear your ankle might break and an off-white plaster cast is your only footwear choice for the foreseeable. As for a pair of badass trainers – I’m a huge fan and they do have the comfort factor but there is a point where you’re sailing very close to Woody Harrelson in 90s basketball hustle flick White Men Can’t Jump. And I gotta say his character may have shown serious skills on the court, but style icon he was not (feel free to Google him immediately to enjoy his epically unfortunate wardrobe).
Anyway, at the minute it’s all about the ballet flat – from the regular round-toe to the lace-up to the razor-sharp point version – the flat is firmly back. Case in point, the indisputably chic Chiara Ferragni aka The Blonde Salad working a knockout look on a scooter (because everything looks chicer motorized) wearing the holy grail of fashionable ballet flats – which I suspect are Miu Miu but since they are unavails anywhere on the planet I’m guessing they’re custom. I mean, why wouldn’t Miuccia make The Blonde Salad her own special ‘dressing’ in the form of shoes?
Taking our cues from The Blonde Salad here’s the edit of the best ballet flat styles to buy right now:
PS Notable mention goes to homegrown heroes, Witchery and Sambag, who also represent in this fancy footwear category.
WHERE TO BUY: Salvatore Ferragamo blue flats www.ferragamo.com, Salvatore Ferragamo green flats www.farfetch.com, Casadei www.farfetch.com, French Sole www.frenchsole.com, Miu Miu www.net-a-porter.com, Giamba www.modaoperandi.com, Tod’s www.farfetch.com, Aquazzura www.farfetch.com, Shubar www.shubar.com