Next time you walk down a crowded street, take a moment to lower your gaze and a look at women’s feet. You’ll notice many, if not most, are wearing ballerina-style shoes. No, everyone around you isn’t dashing off to dance class. However, they are hot on the heels, or rather toes, of fashion in these sleek ballet flats.
The fashionable footwear first evolved from dancing shoes when audiences spotted the beautiful (and trendsetting) movie stars Brigitte Bardot and Audrey Hepburn wearing a pair in the classic 1950s films And God Created Woman and Funny Face, respectively. Looking feminine chic in skinny pants, striped shirts, and ballet slippers for the street, these style icons instantly inspired women and girls, at the time, to desire a pair. Brands like Repetto, the French shoemaker of ballet slippers for the most famous ballerinas since 1947, quickly became the go-to source for the trendy flats in nearly every color.
However, that was more than half a century ago. So why is Vogue’s well-respected editor Anna Wintour still declaring ballet flats a must-have? The answer is simple. Not only are ballet flats timelessly stylish and tasteful, but also they are the sublimely perfect alternative to sneakers. No, I wouldn’t use them to go for a run (unless I’m hurrying to catch a bus or train). But they totally reliable as an everyday shoe you can wear to walk around town, run errands, commute to work (and keep them on, no need to change into heels) and swing by a casual cocktail party. From Repetto to Tory Burch to Lanvin, designers have consistently turned out incredibly classic ballet flat looks that continue to pirouette off store shelves.
What makes the ballet flat truly enduring, besides wearability, is the class factor: The fact that a simple flat shoe could be worn in place of stilettos and still be stylish, elegant and effortlessly sexy—and almost as comfortable as sneaks—is all-around good for the sole.
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[Photography by Inessah Selditz]
Published on June 14, 2010
While there are many sites today dedicated to the pursuit of fashion and style, here at MRK Style we approach these subjects through a collector’s lens. Through exploring how people relate to Art, Family, Fashion, Food, Film and Travel—essentially life’s various, everyday obsessions—we reflect on how we all live with the things we love. 
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