This high street take on Khaite’s crystal mesh ballet flats will save you £800
Mango’s £49.99 pumps are near-identical to the cult designer style
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Your support makes all the difference.Dubbed the It-shoe of 2024, the fashion world has fully embraced the ballet flat. Fast becoming a street style staple, the Noughties-era dainty shoe is having a revival.
Launched in 1984, Chanel’s two-tone pumps are a perenially chic choice, but other ballet flat styles fell out of favour two decades ago, with chunky silhouettes and lugged soles stealing the spotlight.
Now, high-end labels such as Ganni, The Row and Khaite have put a contemporary spin on ballerina shoes – think edgy studs, slingback styles, statement rhinestones or mesh designs (not practical, but elegant).
Set to be this summer’s trending shoe, Khaite’s crystal-adorned sheer flats are an easy way to inject some glamour into your wardrobe. Characterised by their mesh design and sparkling crystal detailing, the style set is pairing them with everything from wide-leg jeans to maxi dresses.
Luckily for those less inclined to splash out £800 on the designer pumps, the high street has been quick to catch on – and we’ve just found the best alternative yet, courtesy of Mango. Best of all, the shoes cost less than £50. Here’s everything you need to know.
Mango rhinestone ballerinas: £49.99, Mango.com
With their sheer mesh outer, rounded toe, dainty flat sole and rhinestone embellishment, Mango’s pumps are a near-identical alternative to Khaite’s luxe ballet flats. More wearable than you might think, the black pumps will work with most things in your wardrobe, whether poking out of baggy jeans (big news this season), styled with a LBD for party attire or a floaty midi dress as the weather warms up.
While we wouldn’t venture out in them on rainy days, the elegant style is a staple shoe for the spring and summer months. Plus, it comes in a nude finish for a more understated look.
Khaite Marcy crystal-embellished mesh ballet flats: £840, Net-a-porter.com
An evolution of the label’s cult Marcy flats (£980, Net-a-porter.com), Khaite’s mesh version debuted in the label’s spring/summer 2023 collection and instantly became a much-loved style. Boasting a sheer mesh outer and a sleek rounded toe, the elegant reimagining of the ballet pump is detailed with sparkling crystals and features a very slight heel on the flat sole.
Adding a touch of glamour to any outfit, style with wide-leg jeans during the winter and swap out for Bermuda shorts and wafty maxi skirts when the weather defrosts. The Khaite pumps are sure to be worth the investment.
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Looking for more designer dupes? Anthropologie has just dropped Ganni-inspired slingback pumps