STYLED FIVE WAYS: GANNI’s Buckle Ballerina Flat

Towards the back end of last year, pointed, buckled ballerina flats rose to the fore of fashion’s consciousness, their unique — yet inherently wearable — aesthetic making them a mainstay everywhere from fashion weeks to mood boards across the globe. Naturally, Copenhagen’s GANNI was at the forefront of this movement, as the label so often is when it comes to the fashion zeitgeist.

With 2024 now well under way, the trend is showing no signs of slowing down, with GANNI’s now fan-favourite ballerina pump continuing its zeitgeist-defining reign. “The ballet pump is back. Last year saw a resurgence in the beloved ballet flat, with almost every brand jumping on the trend, but few do it quite as well as GANNI's Buckle Ballerina Flat. It's easy to see why the flat is a firm favourite, popping up everywhere from fashion week to street style” commented Lucy Davis, END.’s Creative Womenswear Stylist. With that in mind, we bring the ever-popular ballerina flat under the spotlight to showcase five different ways it can be styled.

The GANNI Ballerina flat has origins in the world of formal dressing, though it pairs easily with more casual outfits, as the first look here shows. By pairing a Toga skirt with a Wales Bonner sweat, the look brings the flats into a more casual context, nodding to the "blokecore" and sportswear-adjacent trends still prevalent in the fashion sphere. To complete the look, a touch of playfulness comes by way of Miu Miu glasses to further elevate things.  

Look two represents the GANNI Ballerina flat in its natural habitat: “I am aware the GANNI girl is a whole aesthetic in itself, so I’ve mirrored that in the second look — adopting a more is more approach with the incorporation of both colour and prints”. Bringing together a feminine YMC cardigan, a GANNI shirt with an exaggerated collar and a GANNI leopard print maxi skirt really demonstrates the playful exuberance at the core of the GANNI girl aesthetic.

Alternatively, GANNI’s Ballerina flat works just as well with more simple, monochromatic looks. “It can be nice to just let the shoes do the talking and keep the outfit basic, pairing a simple dress and a colourful sock to add a pop of colour”, said Lucy, when discussing look three. Pairing a black Anine Bing dress with red socks and black Ballerina flats achieves a refined, yet playful look, which can be furthered through the introduction of pieces like a canvas tote and a bright GANNI cardigan for more colour.

The beauty of GANNI’s Ballerina flat is its seamless ability to switch between looks that’re both classic and contemporary, as evidenced with look four. By pairing GANNI’s ballerina flats with a double denim ensemble by Maison Margiela, the outfit nods to classic Americana and double denim trends that permeated popular culture during the 1980s.

With outfit five, Lucy again looked to bring together the more casual worlds with the femininity of GANNI’s ballet flats: “I like the juxtaposition of putting a track pant — which is typically casual — with an otherwise feminine piece like the ballet flats”. Bringing the worlds of Japanese and Danish fashion together, outfit five sees the Ballerina flats paired with a pleatedIssey Miyakevest and vibrant, abstract patternedNeedlestrackpants.