What do you wear with ballerina pumps?

[Cloudminnow]

I really like ballet pumps but always end up feeling very frumpy whenever I wear them. What clothes look good with them? And what goes best hosiery-wise?

I wear barefoot, no socks or tights - so, only when it's above 10 degrees!
I wear them with everything: skinny jeans/trousers/leggings and long skirts

Knee length swishy skirts, skinny jeans and work trousers.

No socks with trousers. Tights with skirts.

Skinny jeans and work trousers for me.

What kind of tights?

knee length swishy skirts (50s style), straight leg jeans (I can't wear skinnies with my tree-trunk thighs) and trousers. I wear bare foot too. I do think you need a well cut pump - I get the ones from the Russell and Bromley kids dept. They are exactly the same as the adult ones but half the price at around £35. I'm a size 3, though I think they do up to a 5 or 6 in kids. I tried the new look ones etc but they fall apart in 5mins - false economy.

Mrs.martin i can't get into russell and bromley's website . Is there a problem with it?

No - they are just old fashioned and don't believe in selling on the web. You would really need to go into a store with a kids dept (not all of them have them) unless you are willing to take the hit of paying for postage and then running the risk of them not being the right size. It is a pain I know (I worked for them for years and I'm not sure they will ever do a web service - thet like to talk to their customers). You will get great customer service either way though and the last time I bought pumps they had a good ten or so colours and textures to choose from. My advice would be to call your nearest store and check that it would be worth the visit first.

Mrsmartin thanks for the tip! I always eye up R and B flats but can't justify the £££. Knew there was a benefit in having freakishly small feet.

Oh and OP - skinny jeans here. Or leggings at the mo til I shift the baby flab.

EVERYTHING. But never socks. I'm always in either flat winter boots, if it's freezing, or ballet flats. Not very imaginative I know, but I can't be arsed with heels, or with buying shoes that I know will be either uncomfortable or that won't go with anything I own. And I only ever wear black opaque tights, no coloured or sheer or patterned. And I don't like any ballet flats except French Sole.

I have weird clothing rules, don't I?

I pretty much live in them - I'm not too fussed about how frumpy they look. I find them easy to walk in, so that's that as far as I'm concerned

Having said that, if I'm wearing jeans, I have ankle-high pop socks. They stop your feet getting all sweaty and horrid in pumps but from a distance you definitely can't tell, and up close you barely can, but you don't have to faff with them coming too high up the leg.

They are elegant! Not frumpy!

I love them!

My (poorly phrased) point was that I love them so much I don't care about feeling/looking frumpy which is what the OP said she feels.

I love French Sole. And Bloch.

Ooh, do Bloch do real shoes as well as dance shoes? I have some of their actual ballet shoes but didn't know they do proper clothes too...I am sure I would love them!

Bloch.

I always read on MN about people finding them in their local TK Maxx. I never have... They used to sell them in the big Oxford Circus topshop, not sure where else stocks them. I think the Outnet...

Pretty! I think I have seen that website before and just forgotten about it because I couldn't work out where to buy them. Never seen their street shoes in real life though - will keep an eye out in TK Maxx! Have you tried Repetto? I have a pair of these in gold, and they do lovely normal-shaped ballet flats too.

This is a very dangerous thread! I lived in Paris for a year and used to gaze lovingly into the window of Repetto, but I just cannot justify the price... They are so beautiful though

Sorry, OP - this has turned into ballet pump porn rather than helpful clothing.

Oh yes I forgot about the Bloch pumps - they definately do go ito TKMaxx - I've got a couple of pairs in bright patent colours (yellow and purple) and I paid £15 a pair. They tend to be the elasticated bannana style of pump but they are beautifully cushioned.

£15?!

I have never understood why a pop sock or pair of tights would help against sweaty feet - imo wearing nylon on your feet is much much worse than nothing. I could not tolerate a pop sock.

I like them with knee-length skirts but sadly only on other people due to my having muscular calves, and not in the style of Darcey Bussell. Other than that, pretty much any type of jeans, cigarette pants, capri pants, and so on, I think go well with the ballet flat.

Same here MeSugar, pop socks make them feel worse if anything, to me. I don't wear the same pair every day though.

PastGrace - Paris for a year? Living near a Repetto shop? I am . I got my Repettos from eBay for £25, NIB and everything! They often turn up on there.

I'm not being that helpful to the OP - sorry cloudminnow. I wear mine with skinny jeans, short dresses with black tights, for work with cropped or tapered trousers, in summer with denim shorts and bare legs. I don't wear skirts or wide leg trousers, but I don't see why ballet flats wouldn't go with them.

And I've discovered that silver is the most useful colour of ballet flat, bizarrely. It goes with everything.

I wear mine with everything. I can't wear heels so live in flats, but mainly boots in the Winter.

yy to silver - with summer stuff, with black cigarettes in winter, my favourite and most worn are silver.

Another vote for Russell and Bromleys. Kids dept (I am also size 3) or the adult ones when the sale is on. Saying that I have been waiting for thei brown ones to go in the sale again for the last two yrs!
Be warned BTW they are currently selling v low cut ones that barely cover your toes and they are terrible, you walk right out of them