Holy Grail Ballet Flat
Once upon a time I wrote about a gorgeous pair of Alexander McQueen crocodile pumps that were available for something like 90% off. I’d tried them on at the Barneys mothership in Manhattan when they first came out and had been whispering sweet nothings to them in my mind for about a year and a half.
There was only one pair –my size– and instead of buying them –sensitive readers might want to look away now– I blogged them. Someone bought them, and instead of having my beloved McQueens, I had heartburn for a week.
I only mention that most unfortunate event because, in a rare example of learning from my mistakes, I waited to post about the Lux ballet flat from Bloch London until every color in my size had wended their way to my little cottage by the sea.
They might be, and I say this without hyperbole, the most comfortable ballet flats I’ve ever owned. Most folks, if they know about Bloch at all, know them as manufacturers of dance shoes, so the flats are engineered not just for maximum cuteness, but for flexibility and padding.
They’re also a true turnshoe, meaning they’re made entirely inside out on the last. There are a whole mess of reasons making turned shoes are both highly desirably and highly inconvenient (read about making pointe shoes in the turnshoe style here) but the only one I care about is the fact you can abuse them much more than a regular welted flat without them abusing you right back.
Fit Note: Bloch as a brand tends to run a little small, but the Lux runs true to size if not a half size large. I cracked a fresh pair right out of the box today and walked along uneven pavement for about an hour with just a little heel irritation.
Wait, Bloch makes non-dance shoes? I love their dance shoes and have worn them for dance for years. Can’t wait to explore their other offerings!
@Maryann: I know! They just started doing them pretty recently. I’m in a danzón troupe and use their Latin shoes (used to use the Penelope 3, but as I’m already five inches taller than most of the men here in Mexico, I switched to the Sophia 2.5″) which is why I gave them a try in their regular shoes.
Out of curiousity, what is your shoe size?
@TFS-OW: I wear a European 41 or 42, depending on designer. I have, as my grandmother so nicely put it when I’d outgrow a pair of shoes every three months “a firm understanding with the ground.”
Mine is European 43-44 (depending if the shoes have a back to them).
OK! So I have a ballet flat question, which is: how do they stay on one’s feet? I have never been able to wear them without them falling off and being terribly painful as I grip frantically with my toes….
@Laura V: As simple as it sounds, I just don’t think you’re wearing the right size shoe. You might need a half-size smaller in flats than you do in heels. Another option is your foot is shaped to be non-advantageous to a flat, such as a very wide foot with a narrow heel. In that case, if you don’t want to get elasticated flats, your only choice is to pad. Honestly, I pad most of my day-to-day shoes anyway. A little moleskin heel grip or a pad up front can make all the different. Good luck!
Wide forefoot, narrow heel — that’s me all over, sigh! I suspected something like that might be the problem. Thanks for the advice! I will give ballet flats one more shot; they’re so cute…
Can anybody vouch for any of Bloch’s other ballet flats? I have a bit of an allergy to wearing teeny tiny bows on my person.
@Jezebella: I just snipped mine off. They’re not twee, but they do get caught under the throat of the shoe, so snip snip, problem solved.
Ooh, excellent. One never knows if that’s an option or not, especially when looking at something online. I tend to snip off the stupid little bows all over my bras, even, because, what, are the bows there to distinguish the boy bras from the girl bras? Plus, the ones on the straps look lumpy under clothes.