Simplicity is a rare treasure in life. Webster describes it as the “the quality of being easy to understand or use.” It’s a natural component of what one would consider an everyday luxury of the minimalist. Straightforward, understated, and a support of one’s lifestyle. T&N is one brand that captures the essence of just that. In this T&N ballet flats review, we will cover just what simplicity in footwear means for you, including a detailed personal review of my experience with the comfort, quality and components of their classic ballet flat.

About T&N

It’s always a paramount preface for me to start all product reviews with an introduction to the story behind the brand. There is a lot you can understand about a product line or collection if you first understand the concepts and principals they were built from. I encourage you before making any purchasing decisions to first research into the brand’s history, get in the head of their designer, and then dive deeper into what brands align with your lifestyle priorities.

T&N was born from designers Tintisha and Natasha on a quest to create a “labor of love that combines high fashion with luxurious comfort” – T&N Officially launched in the summer of 2014 in New York, and have since been covered Lucky Magazine, Vanity Fair, and a slew of notable luxury fashion blogs introducing their unique approach to luxury design at an affordable price.

“In a world where ‘luxury goods’ are often equated with ‘selfish spending’, T&N brings to you a product which allows you to pamper yourself with the latest trends sans the feeling of guilt…making luxurious fashion a less guilty affair.” – T&N

They currently focus on a niche market of luxury ballet flats, offering a single, mastered silhouette available in various colors and materials. The designs are all made of pure leather, and consist of two collections – the classic and trés chic collections.

The difference between the classic and trés chic ballet flat collections

Though split into two collections, there is really only one notable difference between the classic and trés chic collections.  While the classic collection features a custom engraved charm on the back heel, the trés chic is designed to appeal to the minimalist sans-charm. Both styles are crafted with genuine leather, with the same elasticized band across the opening for a snug fit.

The classic collection T&N charm is affixed to the center-back of each heel. A dainty crystal bow gracefully drops down to a rounded charm, which you’re able to customize with an engraving of your choice, making these a fun gift as well. You can choose to engrave your initials or greek letters of 3 characters. For my pair of classic ballet flats in eggshell, I went with my initials KBP for the personalization.

The personalized charm sits just above the metal lated T&N logo, which adds one more small area of sparkle to give the flats that special touch and attention to detail.

The designed T&N luxury footprint sole

One of the most unique and outstanding features of T&N flats are their luxury footprint soles. And yes, it means exactly what you have imagined. Rather than a single, flat rubber sole unit, the T&N flats feature a multi-sectioned rubber sole in the shape of a footprint. Not only a cute, recognizable design feature of the brand, these little footprint pads are textured with a rough finish, giving them excellent traction on all surfaces.

I’ve tried many a pair of ballet flats featuring leather a smooth TPR unit sole or even a luxurious leather sole – the problem with this is apparent when walking on smooth surfaces. With the combination of their lightweight construction and a smooth bottom, traditional flats can give you quite the slide around on wood or laminate flooring. I made sure to put T&N’s luxury designed footprint soles to the test on all surfaces, and was pleased to find the grip more than satisfactory in all conditions.

The leather and craftsmanship of T&N flats

When determining whether or not a product could be considered luxurious, the devil is in the details, and materials and craftsmanship play a big role in this defining factor. Selecting the eggshell classic flat, I was pleased to find not only the outside of the shoe, but also the lining, sock, and sole under the rubber footprint was all crafted from the same, high-quality genuine leather.

Working in women’s footwear for nearly a decade, leather lining represents a significantly higher cost for the brand, but it also creates a more luxurious experience for the consumer. Because of the cost, many brands opt to forgo the leather lining and try to match up a synthetic material similar to the outside leather. With genuine leather gracing the entire T&N flats, you’re able to enjoy a softer, more comfortable experience that is especially notable after long periods of wear. The simplicity of the tonal material swatching also creates a minimal aesthetic that’s ideal for today’s minimalist.

Another feature you may not notice outside of the footwear industry (but that you’ll certainly feel) is the absence of raw edges or seams inside of the shoes. When the inner sock of a shoe and the lining are also stitched together in a self-containing design much like a glove, this is called a sacchetto construction, which is a common feature only in luxury Italian footwear. While the T&N is not a true sacchetto since the sock lining is folded under the sock, it certainly creates the same flexibility and softness that one would enjoy from a traditional sacchetto style. Just like tags and seams can be uncomfortable or itchy in clothes, seams in footwear can be even worse – causing blisters or discomfort. T&N’s nearly seamless design prevents uncomfortable rubbing for simplicity that provides comfort enough for all-day wear.

T&N ballet flats fitting

Self pronounced on their site, T&N flats do run a big snug. However, they do provide a sizing chart online with their products. Be sure to follow it. I typically wear a size 6.0-6.5 US (I know, I have small feet). According to their chart, that makes me a size 7.0 US, which is what I selected as my trial size of T&N flats. The adjusted size felt right about where a standard 6.0 would fit me, so their sizing chart was an accurate match. If you have a range that you often select shoes for, I would recommend matching up with your larger size conversion for the best fit.

The shoes feature an elasticized band at the mouth (or opening) of the shoe, giving them a comfortably snug fit on a variety of foot shapes, as the not-too tight elastic creates a customized fit.

T&N packaging

What luxury blog review would be complete without discussing packaging. I am an admitted sucker for a bit of marketing taking shape in the packaging of products, and with footwear that’s no exception. Upon arrival, I was delighted with T&N’s thick, square pink box including a cloth dust bag folded neatly just inside. The shoes were curved comfortably inside the box with tissue paper neatly packed on all 4 sides. The box lid has a gold embossed T&N logo capping off the design for a 5-star package rating. If you’re planning to purchase a pair of T&N flats as a gift, all you’ll need is a golden ribbon sans-wrapping for the most lovely presentation you could desire.

T&N ballet flats review recap

If you’re in search for simplicity in the form of luxury ballet flats, T&N is a great choice for travel or everyday wear. With their fully genuine leather designs, luxurious craftsmanship and unique high-traction footprint soles, they are simplicity at it’s best, and luxury at an affordable price. I hope this T&N ballet flats review was helpful to you, and provided some on-hand (or rather on-foot) experience that helps you to get an inside look at the beautiful simplicity of T&N.

In accordance with the FTC regulations for Influencers, this is a sponsored post in collaboration with T&N. All thoughts, comments and musings are made of my own opinion and honest, personal experience with the products reviewed or mentioned. I hope you’ve found this post informational and inspiring!