![]() ![]() She made pointe shoes for her son Roland Petite that had gotten quite popular with ballet companies around the world. By the late 1940’s, famed shoe designer Rose Repetto had gotten in some experience creating ballet flats. She showed her ballet flat collaborations with Capezio in her 1941 collection.Ī little over a decade later, the ballet flat really took on a life of it’s own outside the stage. McCardell even incorporated her own fabrics into the shoe designs so that the flats would match the clothes she had created. Fashion designer Clare McCardell fell in love with the simple, elegant look of ballet flats, so much so that she went straight to Capezio himself and asked him to create a version that could be worn off-stage. The talented Capezio was the link that brought the ballet flat from the dance world into the fashion world. The result was a huge success, ballerinas loved Capezio’s shoe so much, that in 1910 Anna Pavlova bought a pair for each member of her company. ![]() So much so, he decided to design a better ballet shoe that would need fewer repairs. After clocking in a significant amount of hours fixing ballet slippers, Capezio learned a lot about them. This prime piece of real estate brought the cobbler a slew of customers- all ballerinas looking to have their well-worn shoes repaired. Dancer Marie Camargo was one of the first to wear the flat version by the mid 18 th century (her look also included a more lightweight costume with a shorter skirt, as well as the inclusion of tights, all of which was a precursor to more modern dance-wear.)īy the 1880’s, Salvatore Capezio (yes, that Capezio) had crossed the sea from Italy to set up shop in America coincidentally, right across the street from the Metropolitan Opera House. Unsurprisingly, Antoinette’s heel-clad beheading turned many French women off from the style, preferring flats instead.īallet shoes then took on the form we are familiar with today: flat, fitted, and cut from soft leather or satin. The former queen was said to have made her walk to the guillotine while wearing a pair of high-heeled shoes. Supposedly, a huge factor in this drop in popularity can be attributed to Marie Antoinette. It helped that high heels fell sharply out of fashion after the French Revolution. This was highly problematic issue for what was supposed to be an athletic shoe.įortunately, people eventually realized that it was more important for ballet dancers to show off their beautiful technique rather than beautiful footwear. One could assume that the ballet performances during this time were probably not very exciting- these shoes were not easy to wear, and rendered dancers completely unable to perform jumps and a significant portion of other technically difficult movements. This original ballet shoe (the high-heeled version) made its first appearance in 1680’s France in the ballet school at the Royal Academy of Dance. Back in those days, it was all fashion over function for the ladies. That’s right ballerinas used to dance in high heels. ![]() Also, in the early days of ballet, the shoes weren’t flat at all. The origin of the ballet flat is a no-brainer (ballet shoes, duh.) However, these flats weren’t worn offstage until relatively recently. Packing a pair in one’s bag in the event that your heels get too uncomfortable has become a life-saving technique to survive a night out. From a casual outfit consisting of a blouse and skinny jeans to a formal evening gown, the dependable ballet flat has got your feet covered. This shoe is chic, comfy, and can be paired with just about anything. While we all love a good high heel, it is safe to say that the ballet flat has become a wardrobe staple. ![]()
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