In fact, these mesh ballet flats – an update on the traditional ballet flat, with a transparent mesh material on the upper – are very fashion, having been declared the shoe of the (northern) summer. Waitlists persist for even the most stratospherically expensive versions. They generally come in nude, black or white; they’re often decorated with crystals or studs; and they reveal the entire foot in a slightly unsettling way, which explains my daughter’s discomfort.