Pretty Ballerinas

Pretty Ballerinas is a line of handmade footwear designed by the celebrated Mascaro family. The line began in 1918, in Menorca, when Jaime Mascaro saw the potential for a business producing handmade ballet slippers for the dancers on the island. read more

            Pretty Ballerinas has a strong connection with its roots, and each shoe is still handmade in Menorca. The Pretty Ballerinas name is synonymous with quality and simple, easy to wear glamour. Each style of shoe is named after a Hollywood icon, such as Marilyn, Audrey, and Grace. This means that once you find your favourite shape and size, for example the Marilyn in a size six, you can find it in over 100 different colours or prints, and with every detail imaginable. Some models are classics that Pretty Ballerinas have been selling for over forty years, showing that although the colours and details of the shoes may change, the designs remain timeless.

            David Bell, husband of Ursula Mascaro, is the creative director of Pretty Ballerinas. He insists on obtaining only the best materials from Spain and Italy for use in Pretty Ballerinas shoes. He garners inspiration from every source possible, for example when he realised that Pretty Ballerinas was founded in Nelson Mandela’s birth-year, he decided to create a shoe with the colours of the South African flag. This idea developed and evolved into the ‘Been Around the Word Collection,’ with shoes inspired by the flags of the world. Bell wants to create shoes that will make women smile, and Pretty Ballerinas seem to have had this effect on women such as Kate Moss, Lily Allen and Claudia Schiffer, all of whom have been seen in his designs.

            Pretty Ballerina shoes are perfect for any occasion, with varieties ranging from a delicate, classic ballerina flat, to a vibrant rainbow striped shoe with rosette detail, sure to get some attention.