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Ballet flat

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This article is about a type of fashion shoe inspired by ballet dance shoes. For the soft shoe used by dancers, see Ballet shoe. For the hard shoe used for pointe dancing, see Pointe shoe.
Ballet flats

Ballet flats or ballet pumps are a style of shoe. The appearance is inspired by women's ballet shoes, with a very thin heel or the appearance of no heel at all. The style sometimes features a ribbon-like binding around the low tops of the slipper and may have a slight gathering at the top-front of the vamp (toe box) or a small, decorative string tie.

Ballet flats are fashionably versatile as they are often worn with both formal and casual attire.[1][2]

History

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Sketch of a ballet flat with a contrasting toe

Shoes with a similar shape to the ballet flat has existed since at least the sixteenth century, when men wore a similar shoe, then known as pompes.

In medieval times, ballet flats were popular with both men and women. They went out of fashion in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when the high-heeled shoe came into fashion after Catherine de' Medici requested that her cobbler add 5 cm (2 inches) to her wedding shoes. Heels lost popularity quickly after Marie Antoinette walked to the guillotine in a pair of heels. Functional shoes, such as sandals, boots, and flat shoes, prevailed in the nineteenth century.

In the 20th century, American fashion designer Claire McCardell commissioned Salvatore Capezio to make ballet flats with rubber soles in fabrics matching her designs, creating the modern ballet flat.[3] They were displayed at an exhibition of twenty years of McCardell's garments at the Frank Perls Gallery in Beverly Hills in April 1953.[4][5]

In 1947, Rose Repetto hand stitched her first ballet flat for her son, famous dancer and choreographer, Roland Petit. Once actress Brigitte Bardot donned a pair of Repetto's flats, variations of ballet flats became popular and returned as a fashion trend.[6] Repetto flats continue to be made and are designed for outdoor wear, using a variety of fabrics and usually with a rubber sole. In 1957, Audrey Hepburn wore ballet flats with cigarette pants in Funny Face, which also raised a wave of popularity.

Some dance schools[where?] allow ballet flats as part of their uniform requirements[clarification needed] and some school bands[where?] require black ballet flats as part of the dress requirements for performances.[7][8][9][10][11]

Around 2005-2010 ballet pumps became highly fashionable, popularised by the wear of top models including Sienna Miller, Kate Moss and Mischa Barton.[12] The trend had a temporary revival in 2022,[13] included in the "ballet and trench" style.[14]

Health concerns

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A condition known as "turf toe", where the joint of the big toe becomes inflamed due to strain,[15] is associated with wearing ballet flats to walk on hard surfaces due to the lack of support and shock absorption in the shoe combined with the way a foot's natural shape is contorted to fit within the toe box.[12] Fashion writers advised wearing them sparingly.[16]

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  • Plain black
    Plain black
  • Variety of textures
    Variety of textures
  • Embellishments on toe
    Embellishments on toe
  • Prints or solids
    Prints or solids
  • Bright colors
    Bright colors

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Sourcing, 11 21 2015 | Fashion Fabric (2015-11-21). "Fashion Archives: The History of the Ballet Flat". StartUp Fashion. Retrieved 2019-07-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Stimpert, Desiree. "Shoe Glossary: Ballerina Flats". LiveAbout. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  3. ^ White, Constance C. R. (1998-11-17). "Celebrating Claire McCardell". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  4. ^ Yohannan, Kohle (1998-10-15). Claire Mccardell. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 9780810943759.
  5. ^ Marcus, Stanley (2001-01-01). Minding the Store. University of North Texas Press. ISBN 9781574411393.
  6. ^ Casa Couture. "The History of the Ballet Flat" Archived 2016-11-08 at the Wayback Machine. casacouture.co. December 2012. November 2016.
  7. ^ "Arizona Girls Willow Ballet Flats Slip-on Closed Toe". JCPenney. 2019-07-29. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  8. ^ "Concert Dress". www.newhartmusic.com. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  9. ^ "Concert Attire Expectations". HILLCREST Middle School. Archived from the original on 2022-01-17. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  10. ^ Program, Stevenson Instrumental Music. "Student attire requirements - Dec 5 Concert". www.stevensonbands.org. Archived from the original on 2019-07-30. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  11. ^ "Weddington Middle School Band: Concert Dress". Weddington Middle School Band. Archived from the original on 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  12. ^ a b "The best ballet pumps and how to wear them | Times2 | The Times". The Times. 2022-05-04. Archived from the original on 2022-05-04. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  13. ^ "The best ballet flats you can possibly add to your spring wardrobe". 25 March 2024.
  14. ^ Walker, Harriet. "Trench plus ballet pumps: The très chic combo".
  15. ^ "What Is Turf Toe?". Cleveland Clinic. Archived from the original on 2024-12-12. Retrieved 2024-12-25.
  16. ^ Julia Guerra (2 August 2022). "Ballet Flats Are Trending — But They're Actually Terrible for Your Feet". InStyle. Retrieved 26 April 2024.

Bibliography

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  • N. Rexford. Women's Shoes in America, 1875–1930. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University, 2000. page 65
  • P. McGinnis. Biomechanics of Sports and Exercise, second edition, Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics, 2005. page 139.
  • Thompson and R. T. Floyd. Manual of Structural Kinesiology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004. page 232.

Further reading

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