Minimalist, affordable and easy to style, ballet flats have been a wardrobe staple for years. Originally manufactured for dancers, they were popularized by French screen icon Brigitte Bardot in the late 1950s, with her film And God Created Woman. Once her Repetto Cendrillon shoes hit the screens, the shelves were stocked.
Admittedly, ballet flats aren’t for everyone, for numerous reasons. You certainly won’t find them in Yasmine Kenawi’s closet. “I don’t think they flatter any outfit or person,” she says. “They tend to make legs seem shorter and aren’t comfortable to walk in as they tend to cause many blisters.”
Yasmine, who studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and dressed celebrities like Anne Hathaway, Adriana Lima and Kate Upton, explains that “not every fashion trend needs to or should be followed just because it’s on mainstream media.”
“If it doesn’t fit your style, body type or personality, then it’s completely fine to ditch it or substitute with something similar that’s on trend, but still be a little more fashion forward than everyone else,” she says. “When you’re confident with your own style, you’ll start your own trend and, in my opinion, that’s goals.” Can ballerina flats be replaced with something else? “Yes,” says Yasmine. “Sneakers, wedges, fancy sandals or just a platform shoe.”
