Ode to buttery soft leather ballerines and where to buy them in Florence

I had no intention of buying anything any more as I was walking along the small cobble stone streets of Florence coming from the Medici Chapels towards the Duomo, passing Borgo San Lorenzo. Until I saw a store display which looked like the shoes were imprisoned, so it immediately caught my attention.

It's the first time shoes were screaming "Save Me"
instead of buy me, but this display deserved a closer look.

So many ballerines imprisoned! I couldn't understand the display,
but it intrigued me enough to go inside.

When I got inside, I saw this display. It looked like a sale pile so I was immediately intrigued, especially when I saw that everything was leather, and almost everything was buttery soft, and they came in so many colors, and so many textures!

I was so confused! With no plans to buy, I didn't know which to try first.

Hanging ballerines. It looks like a mobile.
I want one for my nursery, if I ever have kids again, it better be a girl.

Further inside the store, is a more organized display,
I think I just got more confused.

 All the colors of the rainbow, and all the shades in between. I think they go by Pantone here.

The good thing is, not everything is buttery soft, so it's a process of elimination. The shinier leather is lined inside, which I find less comfortable than the shoes which are purely soft leather. They also didn't have my size in some of the styles that I wanted.

After spending a lot of time in the store, these are the four pairs, that fit me
among everything I wanted. Since I couldn't decide, I bought them all.

Everything in the store was made of leather,
sole included.

The shoes were a very good buy, since they ranged in price from €25-€50. I even saw them (same exact selection, but smaller assortment) with a different brand name at the Florence Airport selling from €79-€99, what I'd expect (but not be willing) to pay for buttery soft Italian leather ballerines.

This is what the store looks like. Make sure you visit
Lolita Milano.

Their Florence store has only been open less than a year, so that explains why I didn't see them the year before. They probably also have branches in Milan, since their name is Milano. Here's a simple map on how you can find Lolita Milano in Florence.

I am so glad Lolita Milano had an eye-catching display. I may not have saved all the shoes, but at least I managed to save 4 of them, and I saved money by scoring a really good bargain too in the process. retail therapy justification. just saying.


Lolita Milano
25/Rosso Borgo San Lorenzo  
Firenze