‘The absence becomes the point’: the steady march of shoes that are barely there

Dear Frances offers the latest take on ballet flats, offering ‘a unique, glove-like fit wearability’ – which is fine if you have nice feet

When is a shoe not a shoe? On sale this month is a pair that seems to pose the question – the no shoe-shoe is the work of the cult brand Dear Frances, and it’s the latest in a steady march of shoes that are barely there; a take on naked dressing but for the foot.

With a high-vamp, the Balla shoe, which the brand calls a “sock shoe”, covers almost the entire foot, but also leaves it – encased but on display – in a kind of flimsy foot-cage. According to Jane Frances, the creative director and founder of the brand, it “offers a unique, glove-like fit wearability” and “takes inspiration from the delicate strength of a woman”.