25 Ballet Flats To Shop (When You Can't Afford Chanel)
Like any fashion girl with a working internet connection, the Chanel ballet flats have been infiltrating my feed for the last several years. They are everywhere. I cannot escape them. Every It-girl I follow is wearing them, every street style photo from Paris features at least three pairs, and somewhere out there, my algorithm has decided that I am a woman who will eventually crack and put a pair on her credit card.
She isn't wrong. She just hasn't won yet.
Like any mom with young children, I'm fully aware that splurging on a pair of ivory white Chanel ballet flats is not exactly a feasible feat right now. They would be wrecked by 10am the following day, the moment my oldest decides to launch himself into the largest, dirtiest puddle in the city on the way to school drop-off. That's just the math. Still, the fantasy remains. They are the ultimate It-girl shoe, the silhouette is undeniably the most perfect feminine flattering shape ever invented, and they pair with literally anything. Matching workout set and a trench in the fall? Yes. Slip dress in the summer? Of course. Real jeans and a white tee on a Tuesday? Obviously.
If, like me, your Google search bar is filled with queries that look something like "how much are Chanel ballet flats new," "how much do used Chanel ballet flats cost," "how much can you get if you sell a kidney," and "Chanel ballet flat dupes," then welcome. You've come to the right place. I've done the searching for us (fine, mainly me, but who's counting) and I'm thrilled to report back that I have found 25 pairs of ballet flats that are, dare I say, cuter than Chanel.
Or, fine, let's be real: more affordable. But also genuinely cute.
Below, the 25 pairs I'm eyeing this spring. Pair them with a slip dress, a matching set, real jeans, or a trench, and accept the compliments graciously when someone asks if your shoes are designer. (You don't have to lie. You also don't have to clarify.)