Help: Chanel ballet flats too slippery

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littobean

Member
May 28, 2022
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#1
After years of contemplating I finally made my first Chanel purchase: a pair of black lamb skin ballet flats with patent leather toe caps.

Since the sole is made of leather, they’re extremely slippery and I don’t feel confident wearing them. I’ve heard that you can add rubber soles via a shoe cobbler to make them less slippery but I’m unsure if this will change the look of them too much. Does anyone have experience doing this to their ballet flats?

If so, can you please share what you had done and provide photos?

I stopped by a boutique to ask for advice and the SA I spoke too recommended I didn’t do anything to them and that walking in them will eventually make them less slippery. Unfortunately, I’m too clumsy for this method lol.
 
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#3
littobean said:
After years of contemplating I finally made my first Chanel purchase: a pair of black lamb skin ballet flats with patent leather toe caps.

Since the sole is made of leather, they’re extremely slippery and I don’t feel confident wearing them. I’ve heard that you can add rubber soles via a shoe cobbler to make them less slippery but I’m unsure if this will change the look of them too much. Does anyone have experience doing this to their ballet flats?

If so, can you please share what you had done and provide photos?

I stopped by a boutique to ask for advice and the SA I spoke too recommended I didn’t do anything to them and that walking in them will eventually make them less slippery. Unfortunately, I’m too clumsy for this method lol.
Click to expand...

They are slippery when you first get them
but as soon as you have worn them they stop being slippery. They just need friction to the sole, you can wear them outside on a rough surface, use sandpaper or score it with a sharp tool. I don’t mind them being slippy for the first time as it’s just for a matter of wearing them. I don’t suggest the rubber soles, I don’t find it necessary at all. They add slight weight to the shoe and change the balance of the shoe IMO and make them less comfortable and more likely to slip off my feet.
 
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#4
Others are right you shouldn't really cover the soles in rubber, but you need to feel safe and be able to walk. Try scoring the soles lightly with nail scissors in a lattice pattern and see if that helps.

The floors at work are lethal for leather soles if it's been raining outside. I think it's the cleaning products they use. I know what it's like to be feeling really unsafe and I don't like it one bit, so you do what you need to do.
 
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#8
I brought mine to a cobbler and had thin non-slip soles added before I even wore them anywhere, as recommended by the SA at the boutique. Didn’t think the soles added any weight or changed the look of the shoes. Attached a photo below (please excuse the dirty sole lol). I walk everywhere in NYC and take public transport - wasn’t going to take the risk of falling! I would suggest going to a cobbler that has experience working on high-end shoes.

IMG_9935.jpeg
 
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#10
For all of my Chanel ballet flats, I have thin sole protectors put on by my cobbler. This means that I can walk everywhere in them without slipping, plus you can just resole the rubber over time if needed. It makes them last much longer, and many pairs still look great after a lot of walking. (I live in a city where I mainly walk to get around.)
 
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#11
calypsodc said:
I brought mine to a cobbler and had thin non-slip soles added before I even wore them anywhere, as recommended by the SA at the boutique. Didn’t think the soles added any weight or changed the look of the shoes. Attached a photo below (please excuse the dirty sole lol). I walk everywhere in NYC and take public transport - wasn’t going to take the risk of falling! I would suggest going to a cobbler that has experience working on high-end shoes.

View attachment 6083381
Click to expand...
Usually, I do take my new shoes (not Chanel) to a cobbler for light/ thin rubber soles
 
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#12
littobean said:
After years of contemplating I finally made my first Chanel purchase: a pair of black lamb skin ballet flats with patent leather toe caps.

Since the sole is made of leather, they’re extremely slippery and I don’t feel confident wearing them. I’ve heard that you can add rubber soles via a shoe cobbler to make them less slippery but I’m unsure if this will change the look of them too much. Does anyone have experience doing this to their ballet flats?

If so, can you please share what you had done and provide photos?

I stopped by a boutique to ask for advice and the SA I spoke too recommended I didn’t do anything to them and that walking in them will eventually make them less slippery. Unfortunately, I’m too clumsy for this method lol.
Click to expand...
 
#13
Congratulations on your new Chanel flats. I take all of my shoes with leather soles to the shoemaker and have rubber attached to the heels and bottoms. This makes the shoes less slippery and the soles last longer. I actually just bought a new pair of Chanel flats yesterday, the bottoms are rubber and I think it cheapens the look of my $1,000 shoes, also will not be able to have the shoes resoled if need be in the future. I much prefer leather bottoms and the rubber added after.
 
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