Ballerinas are celebrating their comeback: Despite the flat sole, you'll make it big with these models!
- By sennenqshop/li>
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- 07/01/2023
By Liana Satenstein and additional editing by Claudia Beran
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The first design of the ballerina was developed in New York at the end of the 19th century
Last week, Devon Lee Carlson posted a picture of herself on Instagram wearing a vintage Dolce & Gabanna wearing a lace trimmed printed skirt and a pair of plain black ballet flats. A few days later, my colleague Irene Kim, who tirelessly combs through all the street style photos from Paris Fashion Week, sent me a picture of a woman in a trench wearing a pair of ballerina flats that looks like a lost paparazzi photo from the mid-'00s -years looked. Then it struck me that Instagram user @megsuperstarprincess, one of indie sleaze's most notable re-inventors, seems to live in - you guessed it - flats (more '00s, she also blogs).
Ballet flats come back: How to combine the shoe trend of the 2000s
The shoe immediately reminded me of my high school days, when I was on fashion forums trying to find out what brand Kate Moss wore (Repetto !). And it wasn't just me. Thousands of others have been searching for the shoe that originally came from the hard-working ballerinas and whose elegant, rounded silhouette has kept us in suspense throughout the 2000s. Moss became practically synonymous with the shoe, while Alexa Chung, who was then dating Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner, also wore it regularly. New York native Sienna Miller stepped out in a denim mini skirt and cropped tank top — but always with a pair of her trusty flats.
These women were constantly on the go, from sunrise to sunset. London-based writer Hannah Rose Tindle gushed over WhatsApp about the dainty shoes designed for the hard-partying indie girls of the '00s - a community she was once a part of. "I paired them with skinny jeans and glitter or fishnet socks," she wrote of her shoe collection, which ranged from leopard print to pony skin to pink metallic, "they were so comfortable my feet didn't know what was happening to them when I suddenly stuffed myself into ill-fitting vintage styles. I even wore them in the snow."
In New York, ballerina flats were not only an expression of the indie sleaze trend, but were also regularly spotted on the runway thanks to the city's sporty style. In the December 2004 issue of Vogue, Sarah Mower reported on the trend towards thin soles in her article "The Case for Flats", accompanied by a photo of a model wearing a purple ballerina flat. Noting that Lanvin's Alber Elbaz had models take to the streets in evening dresses with ballet slippers, she added, "The effect was young and modern - and made a key point about attractiveness, not trying too hard to be sexy and glitzy be."
A few years later, ballet flats evolved from a chic shoe for moving about in comfort to a new movement -- not least thanks to the release of "Gossip Girl," which took Upper East Side high schoolers from their sassiest and most polished side showed. Ballet flats were spotted on Blair Waldorf's feet almost constantly, and VOGUE's November 2007 issue devoted an entire article to the repetto ballerina craze, with model Agyness Deyn in a studded pair of Comme des Garçons flats and Sofia Coppola were seen in a sleek black version. "So what's up with it? Convenience? Certainly. Elegance? Yes, that too. Nostalgia? If you ever took ballet classes as a girl, probably," the author wrote, adding, "The good news is that repettos are so ubiquitous (similar like flip-flops, but much, much fancier)."
Fast-forward to 2022, and it seems ballerina flats are enjoying yet another revival thanks to nostalgia for the indie sleaze and throwback style of Gossip Girl, the latter of which has been boosted by the series' revival on HBO Max was accelerated in the last year. On the Spring 2022 runway, Molly Goddard showed off ballet flats in gorgeous shades of pink and orange, Simone Rocha showed the shoe in metallic purple and red, while Ferragamo presented a classic with its signature flat bow. My colleague Steff Yotka is looking for "a ballet shoe with a chunky toe like Phoebe Philo designed for Céline" and notes that "Khaite has a great pair in velvet right now".
And the best part? These pieces can be paired with anything from a '00s Lanvin ball gown to Kate Moss-inspired skinny jeans - and still look timelessly stylish and very down-to-earth.
You can find our favorite models here:
Jimmy Choo Love Suede Ballerina Shoes
€475Net-a-PorterShop NowManolo Blahnik BB 10 Leather Ballerina Shoes
€560Net-a-PorterShop NowMaison Margiela's "Tabi" split-toe leather ballerina pumps
€520Net-a-PorterShop NowJ.Crew bow-detailed pleated satin ballerina pumps
Square Toe Ballerina by Mansur Gavriel
€395FarfetchShop Now"Hoch Cendrillon" Ballerina by Repetto
€245RepettoShop NowBlue Ballerina by Zara
Tory Burch “Georgia” Ballerina
€295Tory BurchBuy NowThis article originally appeared on Vogue.com
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