In Primrose Hill circa 2009, Kate Moss was, unbeknownst to her, carving out a style blueprint that would be observed and replicated for decades to come. Key components included: skinny jeans or thigh-grazing shorts, a jacket/blazer, an It-bag nestled in the crook of her arm, face-framing sunglasses and ballet flats. More often than not, the latter were from Repetto, a Parisian brand founded in 1947 in a workshop near the Paris Opera.
Just shy of 20 years on, Kate continues to lean into the same tropes – and wears the same Repetto ballet flats. The same dainty-bowed, rounded-toe pumps in black matte and patent leather and supple suede, which she’s worn to run errands in London, on holidays in Rome, Ibiza and Saint Tropez, and on Repetto’s home turf, Paris. The word timeless is thrown around a lot in fashion, but this is, surely, the gold standard.
Through years of wear, in all manner of contexts, Kate absolutely proves their longevity. So, too, Jane Birkin, who adopted Repettos – specifically, the Cendrillon – as part of her French uniform, alongside straw baskets, white tees and flared jeans.
“From the very beginning, Repetto was shaped by movement and precision,” Charlotte Gaucher, CEO of Repetto, tells Vogue of the brand’s dance roots. Each design – especially Birkin’s favourite Cendrillon and the lace-up Zizi jazz shoes, beloved by Serge Gainsbourg, both of which are core styles – strives to “translate the language of dance” into everyday wear; “creating a new kind of elegance rooted in comfort and craftsmanship.” Gaucher continues: “Each one carries the maison’s DNA: lightness, suppleness, and a deep respect for artisanal savoir-faire.”
