Bubblegum pink, lemon-drop yellow, ribboned with licorice-black straps: BallereTTe’s candy-colored ballet flats have won fans in Rome and Milan, and now it’s Florence’s turn.
Entering BallereTTe’s new flagship store, situated a short distance from the Duomo in via de’ Martelli 34/r, feels like stepping into Cinderella’s walk-in wardrobe after a particularly favourable encounter with her fairy godmother. Rows of glass shelving reveal more than 300 jewel-like variations of shoe in fantastical colors and textures. Ballet flats, moccasins, loafers, Oxford shoes and heels line the walls, ranging from leather and suede to velvet and glitter, designed with sophisticated whimsy and crafted with “Made in Italy” artisan care.
Each precious purchase is boxed up and toted home in a transparent case: a practical storage solution with a touch of fairy dust that summarises the playfully ironic approach of BallereTTe founders Carlotta Fabrini and Stefania Mittiga. Passionate advocates for women’s individual style and the ‘Made in Italy’ label, they launched the company in Rome in 2015 and within two years it has already spread to Milan and Florence and established a strong global e-commerce presence that offers free shipping throughout Italy and Europe. It’s not only popular with young and middle-aged women but also their daughters, with a dedicated girls’ range and a series of shoes for special occasions offering myriad original solutions to thorny issues of what to wear.
As fall arrives and wintery grey pervades the city, BallereTTe’s new seasonal collection, resplendent with more than 100 hues and 20 different materials, promises a pop of colour on the streets of Florence.
BallereTTE
Via de’ Martelli 34/r, Florence
Open daily: 10am–8pm
Tel. (+39) 055 212024
