Everywhere you look, BALLET FLATS! You know it’s true, and personally, I’m the biggest fan! I love ballet flats because they truly are versatile, comfortable (if you get the right ones), simplistic, and of course classy.

The history of the ballet flats dates back to the Renaissance. Now, ballet flats during this time were pointed and typically only worn by aristocrats. Did you know that the length of the point of a person’s flats showed how high up in ability they were? Crazy, I know.

However, after Catherine de Medici got married in heels in 1533, everyone began to veer away from flats. Even ballerinas would wear shoes that were heeled to perform in. 

It wasn’t until the 1720s when Maria Camargo, who was a French ballerina, decided to wear flat ballet slippers to perform that the elimination of the heel began. In 1947, Rose Repetto, who was the mother of ballet dancer Roland Petit, also began making flat ballet shoes for her son and even began selling them on the street.

A few years prior, Salvatore Capezio had caught the eye of fashion designer Claire McCardell. McCardell requested that Capezio make a pair of ballet flats for off-stage use for her 1941 collection. This is when ballet flats really took off.

Ballet flats appeared on the cover of Vogue and on the feet of famous actresses such as Audrey Hepburn’s in the movie Funny Face in 1957. In 1956, Rose Repetto crafted a pair of flats for actress Brigitte Bardot. 

The shoe stayed popular throughout the 50s and 60s, but declined in popularity in the 70s. However, the following decade ballet flats were revived as Princess Diana began wearing them and others wooed over the elegance of the shoes. In the 90s, Kate Moss also helped guarantee the forever popularity of ballet flats.

Nowadays, celebrities from Katie Holmes to Kendall Jenner wear ballet flats on the streets, on runways, and in movies. You have to admit, ballet flats are a must!

Till next Sunday,

Daisy