A Pair Of Classic Chanel Ballet Pumps Will Always Be A Good Investment

Since Brigitte Bardot pirouetted ballet pumps out of dance studios and into fashion boutiques – the former ballerina wore red ladylike flats for her breakthrough role as Juliette in 1956’s And God Created Woman – the ballet flat has become synonymous with easy elegance. By 1984, and the launch of Chanel’s ballerinas – which were debuted by Inès de la Fressange in a Helmut Newton-lensed campaign – the quietly elegant pump had become synonymous with French chic. 

Conceived by Karl Lagerfeld a year after his arrival as head of the house, the soft beige pumps with black toe caps were an extension of Gabrielle Coco Chanel’s signature two-tone sling-backs, which launched in 1957. “Inspired by the world of dance so dear to Gabrielle Chanel – who advocated comfort and freedom of movement above all else – the ballerina is today a fundamental in Chanel’s stylistic grammar,” says the brand of its iconic, double-C stamped flats, which look classic in any iteration.

Chanel fan Camille Charrière leans into the Parisian flair of the pumps.

Marc Piasecki

It’s not just Francophiles who covet Chanel pumps. Thanks to Jane Birkin popularising the polite footwear in the ’70s, Kate Moss giving ballerinas her uniquely bohemian flair in the ’00s, and Alexa Chung reigning supreme as the modern-day ballet pump poster girl, the sweet shoe style appeals to all generations. The brand’s ballet pumps have never gone out of fashion – and never will.