Ballet Flats Complete Guide: What to Wear, How to Choose

Ballet flats are very soft shoes designed exclusively for ballet dancing. Unlike high heel shoes, ballet flats have very thin and flexible sole to allow maximum liberty of movement for the foot. Purchasing a pair of these shoes seems like an easy task, but there are some details which you should keep in mind while buying one. Your instructor will possibly ask you to buy a specific type of ballet shoe, if you are attending any ballet dancing classes. These shoes are comfortable, easy to carry and affordable that’s why lots of women nowadays are opting for them rather than high heels.

How to choose ballet shoes?

•    Right fit
Make sure that your shoes have the right fit. If it fits tightly, you will more likely to face the toe pain. If you are buying specifically for ballet dancing, try out some dance steps after putting the shoes on. It should allow your toes to spread out freely on the floor while doing the steps.

•    Fabric matters
Most of the dancers prefer leather because of its durability. Leather is expensive, attractive, long lasting and gives more comfort in cold. Canvas shoes are the perfect option for heavier people because canvas does not stick to floor like leather does.

•    Check the sole
Sole is another crucial part which should be checked before buying ballet flats. Full sole shoes are cheaper compared to split sole and they might be a good choice for the beginners. 

•    Flexibility
Pay attention to the elasticity of the shoes. It should hold the shoe properly.


Nowadays, you can easily find ballet shoes in so many beautiful patterns and colors. You can even purchase these shoes online from the comfort of your home. By visiting popular online stores, you can browse a wide range of ballet flats. It is always advisable to buy a pair of shoes that is comfy and fits perfectly. If you are little tight on budget, then you can start off with a pair of satin or canvas shoes.

Ditch High Heels Today - Avoid Back Pain and Save Your Knees from Being Destroyed

According to experts, women who are still wearing higher heals are themselves inviting the long term health damages. Recent researches suggest that every third woman suffers from foot pain or foot problems after wearing high heels for a long time because of increased pressure high heels put on the feet. Higher the heel, greater the pressure and this pressure can invite foot problems like hammer toes and bunions. After wearing the high heel the entire weight of the body is directed onto the ball of the foot and the output is an increased pressure. This can be more dangerous for those who are overweight. High heels affect your spine and natural posture, wearing high heels can put the spin out of its natural alignment which can make you face the problems like numbness, tingling and unbearable pain. You can easily get ankle injuries, if you are wearing high heels that are not comfortable. 

The extreme pressure generated by heels can change your body’s alignment completely. Poor alignment often results in muscle overuse and back ache. Regular overuse of these muscles can cause your spine to flatten. If you often feel pain, while wearing the heels, inside your toe and across the top of your foot then chances of the occurrence of bunion are good. The knee is the largest joint in our body and high heels can introduce extra stress on the inner side of the knees that leads to osteoarthritis.

So...Still you want to wear high heels? I think the answer should be, “no”.

Most of the women like me prefer to buy ballet flats and foldable party shoes nowadays. The main reason of buying the pair of ballet shoes is comfort; there are several other advantages like cost, multitude of designs, colors, versatility and flexibility. Ballet flats are easy to carry and you can easily put them into your handbag as well. These shoes can be used on regular basis. They look trendy and complement almost all outfits.

Save your knees from being destroyed by high heels. Always choose the footwear which is comfortable and stylish. 

Ballet shoes – A history from 17th century

Ballet shoes might be new to this fashion world, but they aren’t new to the world at all. These shoes are used by ballet dancers since ages. During the 17th century when ballet dance was formed, the shoes for this dance were heeled. Then one dancer named Marie Camargo wore the first ever flat non-heeled shoe for the ballet dance, which allowed her to move more flexibly and gave her the ability to do more complicated jumps.

 After the French Revolution, the ballet shoes were only flats adorned with ribbons to secure the foot firmly. These are foldable shoes to allow the dancers to fully extend their feet and do more flexible moves all around. At this time, the ballet shoes were just made of a very thin or no sole below a tough satin cloth, because it was important for the dancer to stay in touch with the ground. With more and more advancement in these shoes, and with the variety of styles, the flexibility of the shoes has gone down and does not allow the dancers to feel the floor.

Now, in recent years the ballet shoes have made its way into the hearts of young women of 21st century. Girls today want to enjoy all the freedom that they can while hanging out in college or work, while partying and meeting friends. They choose to move on from heeled shoes which are uncomfortable for obvious reasons. Where women believe in style and not in discomfort, ballerina pumps have comfortably made its way into the fashion industry.