Over the years ballet flats have become a staple wardrobe piece. Patterned and printed, plain and bold, they come in lots of different shapes and colours to enhance and change your style from season to season. Inspired by the pointe shoe, this Autumn/Winter there has been an increase of flats with ribbon tie-ups from the trend kicking off in Spring 2016.
Dating back to the 1700s, ballet slippers were made from fabrics such as satin, leather and canvas and were lightweight, thin and flexible to allow dancers to point their feet.
The slippers were made in a tan colour to give the barefoot look with men wearing black or white to match tights or costumes. Marie Camargo was the first ballerina to wear ballet shoes and Marie Taglioni had a ‘barefoot style’ and wore soft satin slippers with a leather sole. They would balance en pointe in attitude on the front of their ballet slippers which was almost like balancing en pointe barefoot.
The slippers were well fitted with ribbon sewn on either side and tied around the ankle to keep them on. Stronger shoes, now known as the pointe shoe, were made by ballet shoemakers as dancers needed a harder shoe. It allowed performers to move and achieve greater freedom and movement. They evolved with a flat toe box as a platform and allowed dancers to balance for a longer period of time meaning pirouettes and arabesques were now possible.
Take a look at our Edit as the ballet slipper continues to evolve into fashion statements.
Below we had listed our favourite tie up pairs for this Autumn/Winter inspired by the traditional ballet slipper.
Discover Raising the Barre’s top Ballet Ties for this Season:
H&M Powder Pink Tie Ups £24.99
Zara Black & Gold Tie Ups £29.99
Zara Nude Leather £39.99
Asos Red Pointed Ballet Flats £22
Asos Living Memory Ballet Flats £25
Aquazzura Point Toe Flats £415-£575
Whistles Brook Ankle Tie Ballerina Flats £115
The White Company £129
Discover Raising the Barre’s top Ballet Pumps for this Season:
French Sole Animal Leopard £95
Boden Wave Ballerina £49.50-£59.50
Pretty Ballerina Rosario £159
Dune Hero Leather Blush £60
Asos Cat Ballerina Flats £25
Ranging from affordable to luxurious add a pair of ballerina pumps to your wardrobe to style boyfriend jeans to party dresses.
Tie them by crossing over the two ribbons just below the ankle and tie around your lower calf as illustrated above. Fasten on the inside of your ankle if the ribbons are short or if they are long; try a bow on the front or back.
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Let us know your favourites.
