Ballet pumps, by name and by nature, are supple and dainty, designed in the spirit of the pointe shoes worn by principal dancers on stage. Miu Miu’s satin styles – complete with wafer-thin soles, prim bows and elasticated straps akin to those seen on training footwear – remain firm fashion favourites, worn by Tish Weinstock on her wedding day in 2022 and by editor Olivia Singer on just about every terrain she encounters. Alaïa’s mesh and crystal-swaddled Mary Janes, masterminded by Pieter Mulier during his tenure at the house, have likewise become staples.

Zoë Kravitz’s Heeled Ballet Flats And Flared Jeans Are Autumn’s Trending Formula

Whatever the season, ballet flats reign supreme in the British office. Fashion features director Alice Newbold has worn her Vinted-sourced Chanel numbers all summer long, while fashion writer Olivia Allen can’t get enough of just about any iteration from M&S. But, just as the thong flip-flop has been heel-ified – see: the versions Havaianas debuted at Copenhagen Fashion Week – the blueprint for the modern ballet flat has also received a (literally) elevated update.

As Newbold would attest, some of the most iconic ballerinas come courtesy of Chanel, and they remain favoured by an array of It girls, from Camille Charrière to Alexa Chung. The two-tone shoes began life as slingbacks, debuted by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in 1957, before Karl Lagerfeld transformed them into traditional ballerinas in 1984. But the block-heeled ballet flat brings a little more poise and precision to every French girl’s preferred footwear. See: Jacquemus’s Les Chaussures, which replicate the stiff, squared-off toe of a pointe shoe, albeit with a biro-thin metal stiletto sprouting from the heel; the teardrop-heeled takes on Miu Miu’s cult satin styles (also available with a one-inch kitten heel); and Louboutin’s not-for-the-faint-of-heart, 10cm-stiletto, Cassia.

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 15: Kaia Gerber is seen on May 15, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by XNY/Star Max/GC Images)

But, by and large, the most popular block-heeled ballerinas are Repetto’s, offering elevation without the threat of toppling over. The 3cm-heeled Camille has become a particularly sought-after model, recently gaining as much traction as the classic Cendrillon flat. Its versatility is evidenced by Zoë Kravitz, who wears hers with cropped flared jeans, and Repetto campaign girl Kaia Gerber, who pairs the suede style named after her with dark barrel-leg denim. The heel-ification of the ballet pump is well under way, then, but one question remains: how high are you prepared to go? Shop ’s edit of the best heeled ballet pumps below.