Vintage shoes like ballet flats were the secret style weapon of Brigitte Bardot and Audrey Hepburn. Along with wedge shoes they have remained resolutely attached to women’s feet.
Ballet Flats
Ballet flats originated as their name suggests as dance footwear. The much-photographed Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova brought them into the public eye thanks to Italian shoe designer Salvatore Capezio.
The first sign of ‘flats’ in modern women’s shoe design appeared in the USA in 1944. Introduced by Claire McCardell and designed by none other than Capezio – her new ‘ballerinas’ were an instant hit. War restrictions meant these shoes were cheap too. For the next decade women’s ballet flats became the shoe choice of many American teenage girls. The shoes soft flexible upper made ballet flats the perfect shoe to dance to the emerging sounds of rock n roll.
By the early 1950s, Hollywood helped cement their status in Roman Holiday (1953) It’s bright new star Audrey Hepburn wore ballet flats again in Sabrina (1954). She incidentally Bringing Classic Retro Looks to Auditionshad herself studied ballet.
In Europe however the real explosion came after the arrival of actress Brigitte Bardot. Bardot wore ballet flats commissioned from Parisian designer Rose Repetto. They featured in her debut movie And God Created Woman (1956).
Style magazines around the world featured photos of the stunning actress wearing Repetto ballet flats. Bardot had also started out as an aspiring ballerina at the age of 13 in the exclusive Conservatoire de Paris. She studied under Boris Knyazev, a choreographer and ballet dancer who trained prima ballerina.
Ballet pumps now in 2025 are truly timeless. The shoe combines both comfort and ease with feminine class and style. They are to be found in almost every woman’s wardrobe.
Wedge Shoes
The wedge shoe was a humble forebear of the towering 1970s era platform. First popularized in the 1930s by Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo. Still a raised ‘heel’ shoe but with the space filled in between the heel and toe. With leather diverted to war production, Ferragamo’s substitute for the heel material was cork.
He produced a raffia‑woven cork wedge tie shoe for Hollywood stars like Joan Crawford. It quickly became a success. More comfortable than the pinched stiletto, the wedge shoe provided a feminine arch to a woman’s posture, without the accompanying back ache.
Marlene Dietrich, an icon of style and sophistication, was among the early adopters of wedge soles. She wore designs by Roger Vivier, who gained popularity for creating wedge soles in the late 1930s. Dietrich’s choice of footwear showcased her penchant for innovative and fashionable designs.
By the early 1940s, many American women were wearing wedge heeled shoes of some kind or other. In 1943, Vogue showcased non‑rationed rope‑soled espadrilles as a chic alternative to traditional heels, helping cement the wedge’s status as a wartime fashion staple.
Evening dress shoes adopted the wedge design too. Featuring intricate embroidery, silk ribbons, and metallic threads atop cork or wooden platforms.
Ballet Flats and Wedge Shoes Reinvented
Always a symbol of chic elegance, ballet flats are never far from shoe store shelves. In the 1980s, Karl Lagerfield showcased them once more in his 1984 Chanel Spring/Summer collection. Tory Burch’s Reva ballet flats, first introduced in 2006 became a worldwide success and has reappeared in various designs.
Incidentally he named them after his mother Reva, who had badgered him to design a pair for her personal use. Subsequently Hollywood stars like Anne Hathaway helped them back to the top of the shoe charts once more.
Women’s wedge heels reached their ‘height’ (pun intended) in the 1970s glam rock era as the ubiquitous Platform shoe. However they’ve returned into vogue since the 2000s as a must have accessory in Boho fashion. Wedge shoes go with flowing skirts and wide-leg jeans. Harking back to the 1960s aesthetic.
Both ballet flats and wedge shoes have demonstrated remarkable adaptability, continually reinvented to suit the evolving tastes and needs of fashion enthusiasts.
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