What’s spangly, gives your podiatrist nightmares and costs the best part of a grand? The style set’s latest obsession of course. Despite the bad backs those of us who spent the best part of the Noughties walking around in them, ballet shoes are back with a vengeance. But not just any old common £15 Bloch hit. No, the coolest, chicest and most in demand versions are by Alaïa. An a-what-a? Yes Clueless stans, the very same esteemed French house founded by the late Azzedine Alaïa in 1964, still white-hot thanks to his successor Pieter Mulier’s deft way with a cult accessory hit and clothes to drool for.
The brand’s crystal flats — a single strap oval-toed flat studded with clear crystals — were first launched in May 2022, since then the shoe has become a repeated sell out success, with fans clamouring to get their hands on a pair, even at £750 for the mesh version and £890 for the leather.
Vogue’s Chioma Nnadi wears hers with Adidas track pants; Ayo Edebiri, star of The Bear, does them with ripped jeans. Their appeal is the instant cool factor and polish they give to any outfit. Kenya Hunt, editor-in-chief of ELLE, is also a fan: “They’re the perfect marriage of style and practicality. They’re as easy and comfortable to wear as bedroom slippers and yet inject a strong sense of fashion, a bit of sex, and joy to every look.
“At the outset, I liked the ‘if you know you know’ quality they had. They were also impossible to track down so there was the thrill of the chase. I bought mine over a year and a half ago, when the Alaïa Paris team amazingly located a pair farther out in France and got them to me. I have been wearing them with everything — from vintage jeans to new Comme des Garçons — ever since. I also love that they immediately make, and lift, an outfit. You don’t have to wear much else with them if you don’t want to.”
The shoes are a major retail hit and the brand has repeated its success in a series of modified styles as well — in perforated leather and mesh, both of which are very tempting, that’s if you can even get hold of them.
Net-a-porter has seen a 400 per cent increase in searches for Alaïa ballet shoes in the last six months. Market director Libby Page puts the demand down to the “casualisation of fashion we have witnessed over recent years. Ballet flats, especially mesh styles, allow our customers to incorporate playful silhouettes into their wardrobes that are both chic and comfortable.”
Selfridges has seen the same clamouring for them. “Demand has been strong and we don’t see it slowing down,” says shoe buyer Peter Rodwell. He’s calling it the “perfect combination of brand power and women’s enduring love of the ballet flat”. He adds: “The Strass crystals draw the eye and amp up desirability for this new maison classic. Returning customers are already requesting new season [styles] they’ve started to see on social media.”
The shoe has of course given birth to a whole new sparkly ballerina movement, with myriad brands tapping into the style. If you’re desperate to wield some runway kudos, Loewe has just released its new rhinestone drenched flats, which even at an eye-watering £1,200 probably won’t stay in stock for long.
L-R: Luna red mesh slipper, £355, lemondeberyl.com; Balla crystal flats, £575, uk.dearfrances.com; Embellished ballet pumps, £80, dunelondon.com; Crystal embellished mesh ballet flats, £750, Alaïa, Net-a-porter.com; Mesh ballet flat with rhinestones, £49.99, zara.com; Bethany ballet flat, £298, thereformation.com; Toy ballerina, £1200, Loewe.com
Dear Frances has had a similar sales-hit story with its Balla crystal flats which come in white and black, with two variations of crystals packed across the mesh shoe. Its restocked the mesh style five times in 12 months and will restock the almost sold out crystal version at the end of the month. The thought of mesh might make you think, why God why, but actually the stretchy material is very springy and comfy, which if you can deal with the flatness of the paper-thin sole, appeals.
For a slightly punkier take, Reformation’s Bethany rhinestone style (join the waitlist if your size is sold out) has a cankle balancing chunky strap and slight (very slight) heel which might help with the back. At the high street end, Zara is doing sterling work with its sparkly nude flats, while Next has a total Alaïa dupe as they say on Tiktok, yours for a friendly £36.
Le Monde Beryl, founded by Londoners Lily Atherton Hanbury and Katya Shyfrin, and worn by Alexa Chung and Kaia Gerber, is another independent brand that has seen its stock rise with the vogue for ballerinas. Its latest mesh styles come in a rather good red, the trick is also the slightly pointed inner line of the shoe which gives a leg-lengthening illusion and is flattering on the foot. One note on plain mesh styles — you will need to sort your toes out. A visible chipped nail isn’t an advisable addition to any look
