French Sole

For over 25 years, French Sole Shoes, a tiny store in New York City's swank Upper East Side, has been home to the world's largest collection of ballet flats. From New York's social elite to movie star icons and even royalty, all have flocked to French Sole's unpretentious haven for the best ballet flats found anywhere. Via its iconic store and globally through its FS/NY brand, French Sole sells a wide array of ballet styles in over 300 treatments, ranging from animal prints to its own exclusive materials. Fusing true fashion with cozy comfort, French Sole puts the emphasis on proper fitting.

The design of the shoes is what makes French Sole stand out from the plethora of companies that have sought to emulate their formula for success. Only French Sole combines a true ballerina fit (each shoe molds to the wearer's foot) for the ultimate in comfort with cutting edge fashion and a selection that is unmatched – qualities that clients come to expect and appreciate from French Sole Shoes. But aside from the myriad variety of ballet and other shoes available, it's the people behind French Sole that have really made it a success.

French Sole Shoes is owned by Randy Ochart, who has passionately focused on designing, manufacturing and marketing the hottest ballet flats in the world from Spain, Italy, France and Brazil. When asked about the future of ballerinas as a category, Ochart explained, "In a phase when it seems that everybody feels the need to re-invent the ballerina, we stand alone as specialists. The extraordinary factories we have worked with for so many years understand the distinction between a ballerina and a flat shoe with a string attached." The fit, look, and hand of a ballerina is what French Sole is about, not just a hot trend.