Simple but also elegant. Stylish but also comfortable. Ballet flats are timeless yet also bang on trend. Plus, you can wear them with absolutely anything to add some French-chic style to your outfits. Below, you’ll find the best ballet flats to go with everything from a casual blouse and jeans to a formal ballgown.

Celebrity ballet flat wearers

Ballet flats obviously have their origin in dance. However, the ballet flat has developed into a shoe to wear off stage and has gained legions of fans over the decades because of its nonchalant, running-errands-around-Paris styling.

celebrity icons wearing ballet flats | 40plusstyle.com

In the late 1950s, Bridget Bardot wore a red pair in And God Create Women while Audrey Hepburn famously donned her iconic ballet flats and polo neck outfit in Funny Face.

The style then enjoyed a resurgence in the noughties when supermodel Kate Moss wore her flats with her jeans, and she has stayed loyal to her Repetto brand over the years. Actress Sienna Miller, the late Amy Winehouse and the Duchess of Sussex have also been fans.

Best ballet flats for 2020

Ballet flats for 2020 - Miu Miu | 40plusstyle.com

Miu Miu

Ballet flats are definitely still on trend for 2020, as proven on the summer runways with Mui Mui’s woven ballet style (above).

The best ballet flats: Repetto flats

British supermodel Kate Moss has been a huge fan of her Repetto flats for decades, wearing them with everything from skinny jeans to shorts.

Kate Moss in Repetto 'Cendrillon' flats | 40plusstyle.com
Best ballet flats - Repetto 'Cendrillon' flat | 40plusstyle.com

Repetto ‘Cendrillon’ flat

More of classic best ballet flat brands to try

Kate Spade

Kate Spade‘s Kora flats have classic styling and a clean aesthetic, finished with the designer’s iconic spade hardware. Choose from a bright shade or neutrals.

Best ballet flats - Kate Spade New York 'Kora' ballet flat | 40plusstyle.com

Kate Spade New York ‘Kora’ flat

Tory Burch ‘Minnie’ ballet flats

When you think of ballet flats, Tory Burch is definitely one of the brands that springs to mind immediately.

The Minnie style is in stock year after year in different shades and is the perfect choice for travelling or switching from your heels after a long night, as the split sole and flexible construction makes it easy to fold into the included shoe bag.

Best ballet flats - Tory Burch 'Minnie' travel ballet flats | 40plusstyle.com

Tory Burch ‘Minnie’ travel flats

Sam Edelman

Sam Edelman‘s Felicia shoe is another style you can guarantee will return in different colors each season. This summer, choose from pretty pastels, attention-grabbing brights or animal prints.

Best ballet flats - Sam Edelman 'Felicia' flat | 40plusstyle.com

Sam Edelman ‘Felicia’ flat

Josef Seibel

If you need a shoe with extra support, Josef Seibel is definitely a brand worth considering. The air-cushioned sole means you can wear its Pippa flat all day.

Best ballet flats for women - Josef Seibel 'Pippa 07' flat | 40plusstyle.com

Josef Seibel ‘Pippa 07’ flat

You’ll find more arch support inspiration in this article.

ARA

A classic style with a slim bow and a very small heel, the Scout flat by ARA is an elegant choice to wear with anything.

Best ballet flats for women over 40 - ara 'Scout' flat | 40plusstyle.com

ARA ‘Scout’ flat

Rockport

Another good comfort brand choice, Rockport gives a different twist to its Adelyn flat with the slightly pointed toe.

Best ballet flats - Rockport 'Total Motion - Adelyn' ballet flat | 40plusstyle.com

Rockport ‘Total Motion – Adelyn’ flat

Kenneth Cole New York ballet flats

Kenneth Cole’s Balance flat features a dainty bow and striped heel detail.

Kenneth Cole New York 'Balace' ballet flat | 40plusstyle.com

Kenneth Cole New York ‘Balance’ flat

Gentle Souls

If you’re a fan of minimal styling, then the Gentle Souls Eugene travel flat (below) could be the style for you. Choose between classic tan or black.

Gentle Souls Signature 'Eugene' travel ballet flat | 40plusstyle.com

Gentle Souls Signature ‘Eugene’ travel flat

FitFlop

When choosing a pair of flats, all-day comfort is important. The FitFlop Allegro (below) is usually updated in different shades each season, and features a contoured, cushioned footbed with American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance.

FitFlop 'Allegro' ballet flat | 40plusstyle.com

FitFlop ‘Allegro’ flat

Cole Haan ballet flats

For a romantic addition to your outfit, how about choosing Cole Haan’s Tali ballet flats which feature a distinctive bow?

Cole Haan 'Tali' ballet flat | 40plusstyle.com

Cole Haan ‘Tali’ flat

Minnetonka

Simple, yet stylish, Minnetonka’s black Anna ballerina flats (below) are deliberately, minimally styled to give them versatility.

Minnetonka 'Anna' ballerina flat | 40plusstyle.com

Minnetonka ‘Anna’ ballerina flat

Lucky Brand

With an elasticated topline, Lucky Brand’s ballet flats (below) are designed so they don’t slip around on your feet as you walk. Choose from coated cork, fabric or leather.

Lucky Brand 'Emmie' flat | 40plusstyle.com

Lucky Brand ‘Emmie’ flat

1901

If you like to add a little height rather than having a completely flat shoe, then the 1901 Bryn style (below) is worth considering. Opt for snake print, or a soft suede in either orange or navy.

1901 'Bryn' ballet flat | 40plusstyle.com

1901 ‘Bryn’ flat

Ted Baker London

Shoes can be the perfect way to add some pizzazz to an outfit. The bold detailing of the Ted Baker Sually (below) means you can keep the rest of your look very simple.

Ted Baker London 'Sually' flat | 40plusstyle.com

Ted Baker London ‘Sually’ flat

Marks & Spencer

A key shoe trend for summer 2020, is woven leather. The silver ballet flats from M&S (below) will go with pretty much anything in your closet. They would look lovely with either white or black for summer.

Best ballet flats for women - M&S Collection flat | 40plusstyle.com

M&S Collection flat

Amazon

A good budget option if you are looking for a pair of flats for running errands, heading off on vacation, or you want to buy a number in different colors, are these essential flats from Amazon (below).

Most reviewers say they are good quality, well made and supportive.

Amazon Essentials ballet flat | 40plusstyle.com

Amazon Essentials flat

What to wear with your ballet flats

Now that you’ve chosen your favorite pair of ballet flats, what should you wear with them? Well, the answer is, pretty much anything!

Below is some inspiration for you on what to wear with your ballet flats.

The best ballet flats to go with everything in your closet | 40plusstyle.com

Kimba (above) matches her black ballet flats to the zebra stripes on her blouse.

Recreate her outfit with this similar pair of flats, blouse and jeans.

Carrie wears leopard print ballet flats | 40plusstyle.com

Carrie (above) chooses to keep her outfit coordinated with her leopard print top and matching ballet flats.

Check out these similar leopard flats, shirt, cardigan, skinnies, handbag and sunglasses.

Fonda wears nude ballet flats and slim pants | 40plusstyle.com

Fonda (above) wears her ballet flats with slimline pants.

Steal her look with this similar pair of flats, blazer, pants and scarf.

Tanasha wears ballet flats with leather leggings | 40plusstyle.com

Tanasha (above) wears a pair of quilted ballet flats with her leather-look leggings.

Check out this similar quilted flats, top, cardigan, leggings, handbag and sunglasses.

Nadine styles her maxi dress with ballet flats | 40plusstyle.com

Nadine (above) shows that ballet flats can go beautifully with a dress as well as jeans and pants. She picks up the green in her dress in her shoes.

Steal her look with this similar pair of green flats, printed dress, handbag, earrings and sunglasses.

Ashley wears tan ballet flats and a striped maxi dress | 40plusstyle.com

Ashley (above) opts for minimal styling with her tan ballet flats and striped maxi dress.

Check out this similar pair of flats, striped maxi dress, denim jacket, handbag and necklace.

Rocio wearing silver ballet flats and a black skirt | 40plusstyle.com

Rocio (above) wears silver flats with her below-the-knee skirt.

Recreate her outfit with these similar flats, shirt, leather skirt and sunglasses.

Dahlia wears a denim jumpsuit and black ballet flats | 40plusstyle.com

Dahlia (above) mixes urban and classic styling with her denim jumpsuit combined with black ballet flats.

Steal her look with this similar pair of scalloped flats and denim jumpsuit.

Continue reading:

  1. How To Create A Shoe Capsule Wardrobe
  2. How To Wear Flat Shoes And Not Look Frumpy
  3. Best Shoes With Arch Support – Comfortable Walking Shoes To Walk In All Day!

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The best ballet flats to go with everything in your closet | 40plusstyle.com

Feature image by Kimba

Sylvia

Sylvia is 40+style’s editor-in-chief and has been helping women find their unique style since 2011. An alumni of the School of Color and Design, she is devoted to empowering women of any age to look and feel their best. Read more about Sylvia and 40+style on this page.

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