how to wear it: ballet flats

coming from someone who wears them almost 7/7 days of the week

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When it comes to my personal style, ballet flats have always been my go-to. If you scroll through my weekly books and looks posts, you’ll notice they're a staple in my wardrobe.

Senior year Natalia in… ballet flats (2009!!!) I believe these were from French Sole (throwback!!!)

They’re my everyday shoes, my walking shoes, my travel-day shoes, and my going-out shoes. I’ll even wear them for a family walk by the Houston Bayou.

A text from my aunt

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Before we get into how to wear it:

• Ballet flats don’t have to be from Chanel. I’ve built my collection over the years, but there are other brands that I love, use, and highly recommend (Repetto, Aeyde, and even JCrew ballet flats are fabulous). There are also a ton of Chanel ones on the resale market that are even better because they’ve already been worn in.

• Most ballet flats are soft, round, ethereal, and rather feminine. You can go all out and build a monochromatic vibe outfit — pair the ballerinas with a sweet feminine dress, a bow in your hair… you get the idea. That would be lovely and very pretty, but you won’t see that here because that’s not my style

• I like to add contrast and friction to my looks, especially because I don’t like to look or feel too “dressed up,” so I style the flats casually and almost always with jeans.

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Types of ballet flats:

Traditional ballerinas (rounded toe + bow at the front)

Mary Jane style (usually has an adjustable strap)

Mary Jane + Ballerina combo (elastic strap)

Square toe ballet flat

Any of the above in different colorways (red, pattern)

Or fabrics (velvet, suede, leather, raffia, denim)

Or textures (studs, sequins, mesh)

Ok, let’s talk about how to wear ballet flats.

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Let’s start with the base outfit

blue jeans + white tshirt + ballet flats

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I wear a version of this almost every single day come spring and summer. In the colder months, I’m wearing a sweater over the shirt.

This look is a great place to start, but I like to add a bit more contrast. The jeans in the above picture are a bit too tight, so I’ll try it with looser jeans for more contrast.

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Still super easy and relaxed. The raffia/woven bag has a great texture to add to chill down a ballet flat.

And for even more interest, look for a ballerina in a color that isn’t black/beige.

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I love the way ballet flats look with ripped jeans — again, I gravitate towards styling that chills down the ballet flat.

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This is how I wear them

with long, ripped jeans

white tshirt + jeans + ballet flats (and a cardi because it was cold)

same idea as above

You could also switch it up for white jeans

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This is how I wear them

I went with the mary jane style flat here instead of the traditional one to balance out the softness of the fitted cardigan

I love a slouchy look

summer uniform loading

Or, try them with a skirt

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Camila Morrone shows us how to wear them with a dress

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And of course, try it with a button-up

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Some styling tips

Add a sock

Grey looks great (especially in the colder months)

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Or white

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It just looks really cool

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Cuff your jeans

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I looooooove a cuffed jean

If you have any lingering questions or want styling help, please reach out. It would be my pleasure to help you find ways to make ballet flats work for you.

Xx,
Natalia