Recent seasons have gone big on floaty dresses paired with great big hulking boots or hefty trainers. But there has been a quiet resurgence of a somewhat more refined trend that was everywhere in the noughties before, if not disappearing, then taking a back seat: the classic ballet pump.

Beloved of Kate Moss in her heady, halcyon Primrose Hill, skinny jeans-wearing days, the ballet pump is back – from the classic to the super on-trend square toed rendition. And what’s not to love? They are comfortable, endlessly elegant and they go with everything. Plus, they’re so slimline, they fit easily into your handbag, meaning that you can slip them when you’ve had enough of teetering on heels (after five minutes, as far as we’re concerned), or swap your trainers for a chicer flat for an evening look.

The true fashion cognoscenti never actually consigned these beauties to the back of the wardrobe; rather they became a classic, as opposed to an au courant, style. After all, no look pioneered by the graceful Audrey Hepburn could ever truly slide out of favour. But now, however, they’re back in a big way, and these are our very favourites.

By Nancy Alsop
August 2020

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