What Are The Best Ballet Flats?

Reach New Heights In This Season's Must-Have Ballet Flats

In the 90s they were a Kate Moss staple; in the noughties, Alexa Chung was regularly papped wearing them. Dig deeper and black and white images of the iconic Audrey Hepburn should tell you that the elegant ballet flat has been a fashion must-have for decades.

Now, their timeless appeal is serving them well again, with HRH The Princess of Wales spotted in ballet flats recently and royal and celebrity approval at an all-time high. But are all ballet flats the same? What’s really going to cosset your feet in the ultimate comfort, whilst keeping you stylish and smart from Desk to Dinner and Work to Weekend?

There are plenty of ballet flats out there, so how does one go about finding the best ballet flats that seamlessly combine comfort and style?

The good news is, we've put together a list of core credentials that should help with your search for the perfect ballet flats.

Comfort

Every shoe has three components; an upper, an insole and an outsole (or sole) and each component plays a vital role in comfort and fit.

Let’s start with the insole. Too often, this lacks sufficient padding, making the shoe hard on your feet. Insoles are the perfect place for deep cushioning and added support, so look for substantial padding that would cosset and comfort your feet. Most of the pressure will be exerted onto the heel area and under the balls of the feet so insoles that are double cushioned in these areas are a godsend, although hard to come by, so it’s definitely worth keeping your eyes peeled for this.

The materials used for the insole are vital to comfort and foot health too. Look for leather insoles and leather linings, as leather is natural and breathable. Again, all too often, even if the shoe upper is leather, be wary if the inner lining and insole are not leather because this will affect how they feel. Hot, sweaty and smelly ballet flats are not what you want! These conditions may also lead to potential foot health issues such as athletes foot, fungal and mould growth and heat rash and spots.

Uppers are what you see on the top of the shoe. This tends to be the materials and components such as laces. For ballet flats, look for soft, flexible and pliable leather uppers that would mould to your feet. Anything stiff or rigid would likely cause friction and blisters. Ideally, the uppers would have minimal seams and stitching – especially around the sensitive foot joints and areas such as where bunions are often present – as these seams tend to press on the joints and cause pain. Again, soft leathers will really help in these cases.

For the topline opening, a soft elastic that’s gentle around your feet would ensure your toes aren’t gripping to keep the backs of the shoes on. This tends to be the case with more structured topline openings, as achieving a perfect fit is rare, so leaving your toes to grip unnaturally and your heels to flap out of the shoes. This unnatural gripping causes extra stress in your feet and all the way up your legs too, meaning your muscles become short and tight for longer periods of time.

If there is an elasticated topline opening, the elastic should be gentle and soft, so as not to hurt and damage your feet by being tight and uncomfortable. However, no matter how gentle, and whether elasticated or not, ballet flats always seem to pinch, rub and dig in on the Achilles heels. To avoid this, look for a soft and cushioned pillow on the Achilles heel area which works a dream. No more nasty cuts, rubbing or digging-in!

Would you believe, the majority of shoes are made using PU, also known as vegan leather, faux leather or plastic. However, with so much going on in the world of sustainable materials, the industry is making great strides in terms of innovations of bio-based materials made from plants. This is still very new, however, and definitely not mainstream by any stretch of the imagination, so if you pick up a ballet flat and the upper isn't leather, it's more than likely to be a textile or PU material. Going back to the point about breathability above, genuine leather still has the advantage over man-made materials in terms of breathability (and sustainability, for that matter).

And finally for the upper, make sure that the vamp (or toe length) of the ballet flat isn't too low. Toe cleavage usually means the toe box is too shallow, with not enough healthy wiggle room for toes.

Ballet flats need a good outsole; one that is solid and durable to deter stones from penetrating your feet, and that is flexible to promote natural movements and good foot health. It's a tricky one to get right, as traditional ballet flats have a really slim sole, with barely anything between you and the ground you walk on. However, this just isn’t feasible for our modern, 21st century lifestyles, and so adapting the sole is essential.

Although beautiful and with an air of luxury about them, leather soles on ballet flats are something to look out for. Because they’re soft, they usually aren’t as durable as a good rubber sole and they lack the grip, so tend to be slippery. In wet weather, they aren’t really water resistant either. Leather soles are, of course, natural, and so are easy to repair – but on a ballet flat, just be prepared to spend quite a lot of time (and money) at the cobblers!

Style

With so many ballet flats to choose from, how on earth do you know which ones are in fashion and on trend?

The trick is to look for ballet flats that are comfortable and stylish, so making you look good but feel even greater! There’s nothing more stylish than feeling confident and happy, and you won’t achieve either if you aren’t comfortable.

Classic colours like black, navy, tan, and red never date. Leopard print is now considered a classic and looks great for adding a pop of interest and fun. Shades of pink, whether pastel, more dusky or bright fuchsia will always be popular for ballet flats. Look for beautiful details that add personality like woven or quilted leathers or pretty little bows. If you prefer a more simple aesthetic, try a two-tone ballet flat to help break up the colour palette. Almond shaped or slightly pointed toes work best; stay away from extreme points as your toes will get squashed and hurt.

Ballet flats are incredibly versatile and will pair well across your wardrobe, from casual to more formal, from day to evening and from work to weekend. Wear them with anything and everything, from jeans to suits and dresses to trousers.

The Extras

It's all very well ticking the boxes for comfort and style but today, we're all looking for the added extras. How are the shoes made, what’s the ethos of the brand, what are the sustainability credentials, is there a greater purpose, etc. All very relevant questions, and ones that should mean a great deal to both customer and brand.

Seek out hand-crafted ballet flats; traditionally made by hand-lasting. This preserves the art of shoe making and also gives the shoes a beautifully crafted look and feel that just cannot be achieved by mass manufacturing. Small batch productions also help to avoid waste.

When you purchase the ballet flats, what happens? Do you receive loyalty points? Plant a tree? Give back to charity? Small details, but it matters. Seek out brands that care and that offer you value for money - it's a false economy otherwise.

Conclusion

There's a huge amount to consider when it comes to finding the best ballet flats and it can be a little overwhelming.

The good news is, we can help. Cocorose London have been designing and making what many have been referring to as “the best ballet flats out there”. Mass market, no. Cult, yes.

As an independent British brand, we've flown the flag for ballet flats since 2007, when we invented the foldable shoe. From there, we've grown our collection and today, our leather flats – hybrid in design – combine and offer the best of both worlds; beautiful, comfortable, all-day-wear ballet flats that incorporate our foldable technology for easy portability and functional storage. It’s all very clever and girl-friendly!

It's the core credentials of our ballet flats that truly make these shoes different, however. They come with our specially designed and tested, indulgent double-cushioned insoles for that walking-on-air feeling; pillowed Achilles heel comfort; super soft, premium leathers that gently envelope and mould to your feet; and a proper, durable and flexible sole.

We have a whole range of beautiful styles for you to choose from, with sizes ranging from EU35 to EU43.

And finally, our footwear is meticulously handmade in small batches to avoid waste, a tree is planted for every purchase made and you can collect our generous Rosebud loyalty points. All of the shoes are carefully hand-cut, stitched and hand-lasted, with incredible attention to detail, and it’s this that makes all the difference to how they feel on the feet. To see the full collection visit www.cocoroselondon.com.