I’m A Fashion Editor With A Shoe Obsession – I Haven’t Taken Off These Perfect Flats All Summer

The moment I realised my shoe obsession was threatening my relationship was the moment I found myself frantically stuffing boxes underneath the bed so as to hide the fact that I had yet another pair of shoes. By the front door, the shoe rack I had tidied held a perfectly normal amount of shoes. Under the bed, however, well, that was an entirely different story. I give you this context only to help you understand that I really, really love shoes and, therefore, what I'm about to say is not to be taken lightly: I have been wearing the same pair of shoes for the last month.

Summer can be a tricky time to be preoccupied with what's on your feet. If you're on holiday (depending where you are) you can live in flip flops without so much as a second thought. I have friends and colleagues who have managed to transpose this flip flop life to the city and, while I admire the freedom with which they parade their toes around town, I do not find the prospect of public transport and nearly-bare feet at all appealing. Of course, I've been fully on board with the ballet pump renaissance for some time now, although I must admit I've struggled to find really chic pairs which will last (I've bought many cheap pairs which, after a few wears, fall apart). Then, I discovered this woven pair from Dear Frances.

If Dear Frances is not a name with which you're immediately familiar, I promise you that you've seen the brand's shoes, even without realising it. Founded in 2016 by Jane Frances, an Australian who to be a cordwainer in Italy, the London-based label has quietly amassed a loyal following of fashion editors and some celebrities, although its entire ethos is based on the fact that it offers extremely high quality craftsmanship and stylish designs in a distinctly un-flashy manner. In the last year, the Balla mesh flats have become near-ubiquitous, hence why you've definitely seen the brand even if you didn't realise it.

In fact, the mesh flats have been so popular, they naturally spawned a thousand and one lookalikes, each one failing to match the je ne said quoi of the originals. For me, this summer has been a doddle (for my feet, anyway) thanks to the woven iteration of the Balla, new for this season. Comfortable, stylish and simultaneously offering all the breathability of sandals and the coverage of ballet flats, I have worn them almost every day over the last few weeks. Another perk? They go with everything.

It's not just the Balla flats which make Dear Frances so brilliant, however. I've got my eyes on the new Tia flats, which make for the perfect trans-seasonal shoe, while the new Balla Crystals are about the best party shoes I've seen. Elsewhere, the newly-launched bag collection is full of dreamy styles to suit all aspects of a busy life.

Next week, I'm going on holiday with limited baggage allowance which, as you may imagine with my proclivity for shoes, would normally pose quite the problem. Not this time. I'll just be packing my Balla flats and leaving room in my suitcase for souvenirs.

Shop: The Best Dear Frances Shoes

Hannah Banks-Walker is Grazia's head of fashion commerce. She has previously written for the likes of Harper's Bazaar, The Financial Times, Glamour, Stylist, The Telegraph, Red, i-D and The Pool on everything from fashion to curly hair (hi!) to the patriarchy. Not necessarily in that order. Find her on Instagram and Twitter. But please don't look for her MySpace profile, which until now was the last time she wrote about herself in the third person.