When ballet slippers came into the scene several years ago, we were thrilled. What suburban girl didn’t force her parents to let her walk down the street in her old pink ballet shoes, and what half-grown woman wouldn’t want to do the same thing, but with better soling and more arch support?
But now the Jazz Shoe is trying to edge its way into mainstream culture, and we’re simply not sure.
The trend converged when Tokyo girls started painting theirs silver, while Irina Lazareanu dragged hers down Le Marais in Paris. Meanwhile, the dance brand Repetto started making real shoes inspired by their ballet slippers, and the line was so successful, they decided to keep going with other models. And the flat silver scuffs the girls wore in last year’s Luella show – though not quite jazz shoes – certainly helped.
Now we see them five times a day walking through Soho, and that number triples when it’s past midnight and we hear New Order coming from the speakers.
But do these shoes try too hard – and make you look too odd – or is there something exciting in their casual flat-footed style that makes them embraceable?