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If I’m going to abide by my new rule of purchasing shoes that I’ll actually wear more than once a week, I’ll need to stick to the classics. (No more sparkly impulse buys or aspirational-yet-unworn pairs for me.) And you can’t get any more classic than the ballet flat.
In my humble opinion, the Cendrillon flats from heritage French footwear brand Repetto are still the most perfect iterations of the style ever created. Sadly, their nearly-$400 price tag means I won’t be able to buy them in bulk. Good thing I found a pretty decent lookalike: The Vika2 ballet flat from Walmart’s Journee Collection. It’s got the same round toe, short vamp, fabric trim, and dainty little bow as my beloved Cendrillons. And, at about 1/10th the price (between about $20 and $40, depending on color), I can purchase to my heart’s content.
Made with a faux-leather upper (which is one reason for the low cost), they come in six colorways: In addition black, red, and pewter, there’s also blush, gray, and navy. I’m always partial to black, and I definitely be sporting the red for when I’m feeling a little saucy… but with such a reasonable price tag, I may have to make room for all six on my shoe rack.
A quick history of the tried-and-true shoe: While similar footwear had been around since the 16th century, contemporary ballet flats didn’t come about until the early 1940s, when American designer Claire McCardell asked Italian shoemaker Salvatore Capezio to create the iconic style. Shortly thereafter, actress Bridget Bardot began wearing a version from Italian designer Rose Repetto. Then Audrey Hepburn got in on the trend, and the rest is fashion history.
Grab an affordable pair of these eternal classics below — the cost-per-wear is truly unbeatable.