Ballet flat facts for kids
Ballet flats are super comfy shoes that look a lot like the soft shoes dancers wear for ballet. They have a very thin heel, or sometimes no heel at all! You might also hear them called Dolly shoes or ballet pumps.
These shoes often have a pretty ribbon-like edge around the top. Sometimes, they have a small gathering at the front, near your toes, and a tiny decorative string. This string can even be used to make the shoe fit your foot more snugly.
History of Ballet Flats
Ballet flats have been around for a long time! Shoes similar to them existed way back in the 1500s. Back then, both men and women wore these flat, soft shoes, which were sometimes called "pompes."
When Heels Became Popular
Flat shoes were very popular until the 1600s and 1700s. That's when high heels became fashionable. This trend started when Catherine de' Medici, a queen, asked her shoemaker to add a 5 cm (2 inch) heel to her wedding shoes. Soon, everyone wanted heels!
But heels didn't stay popular forever. After Marie Antoinette wore heels to the guillotine, flat shoes, sandals, and boots became popular again in the 1800s. People preferred practical shoes.
Ballet Flats Return to Fashion
Ballet flats made a big comeback in the 1950s. A famous actress named Audrey Hepburn wore them with her cigarette pants in the 1957 movie Funny Face. This made the style super trendy!
In 1947, a woman named Rose Repetto made her first ballet flat. She hand-stitched it for her son, Roland Petit, who was a famous dancer. Later, another actress, Brigitte Bardot, wore Repetto's flats. After that, different kinds of ballet flats became extremely popular.
Today, ballet flats are designed for everyday wear. They are made from many different materials and usually have a rubber sole for comfort.
See also
In Spanish: Bailarina (calzado) para niños
