Lemaire Micro Ballerina Flat

The ballet flat is having a long moment and most of them are the same shoe. This one is worth looking at closely because of two decisions. The first is the toe, which is gathered rather than molded: instead of shaping the leather over a rounded last and letting the material stretch smooth, the upper is drawn in with small folds at the toe, which is how a real ballet shoe is made and why the front of this one has a soft puckered crown instead of a hard curve. The second is the backstay, where the eyelets are embroidered rather than punched and set with metal. Embroidered eyelets mean no hardware, so the heel of the shoe stays soft and there is nothing to press against the foot, and it means the ties are worked into the shoe rather than threaded through it. Leather outsoles and insoles, so the shoe is built the way a proper flat is built and can be resoled. Micro is a fair description of the cut. It sits low on the foot and shows the arch, which is what makes a flat look like a flat and not like a slipper.

The construction is the reason: a gathered toe and embroidered eyelets are both harder than the molded, metal-set alternatives and are what separate a made shoe from a shaped one. The ties mean it can be worn loose or drawn in.

Quiet shoes with one piece of real construction in them is a good description of what Lemaire does in footwear generally.

Leather upper with matching leather tie straps, a gathered round toe, and a backstay with embroidered eyelets. Leather outsoles and insoles. Made in Portugal, in coal. We do not hold a percentage composition or a leather type for this piece, so we describe the construction and not the hide.

A low-cut ballerina, so it sits below the arch and will feel shallower on the foot than a higher-cut flat. The gathered toe gives a little more room across the front than a molded toe of the same length, and the ties let the fit be adjusted at the ankle rather than relying on the topline to hold the shoe on. We do not hold a size chart for Lemaire footwear.

Coal is a soft dark grey rather than a black, so it does something a black flat cannot: it separates from black trousers instead of disappearing into them. The ties can be left loose for a softer line or wrapped for something more deliberate, and the shoe is low enough that it works with a cropped trouser where a higher-cut flat would cut the leg.

Leather soles want a dry night between wears and will wear faster on wet pavement than a rubber sole will, which is worth knowing before the first rainy day. Keep the uppers clean with a soft cloth and condition sparingly. Our fabric care guide covers leather, suede, and nubuck.

The Square Flat Ballerina is the square-toed flat, and the Glove Ankle Boot is the boot. Everything we carry from Lemaire is listed together.