Jane Winkworth

British shoe designer, Jane Winkworth is known by the fashion press as ‘Queen of Ballet Flats’ and is the founder of French Sole, home of the original, own-brand, designer Ballet Flats.

Charlotte-Anne Fidler, Creative and Fashion Director. Charlotte-Anne Fidler,
Creative and Fashion Director.

Recent posts…

Its nearly Christmas and we welcome a new member into our family… December 10^th 2019

Christmas is almost upon us and once again we have welcomed a new dog into our family!

eBay and me… September 27^th 2019

I simply adore eBay. When I sold French Sole and retired three years ago, I had amassed over two thousand pairs of shoes, all brand new and mostly samples, which I had kept over the years in a storage unit that I seldom visited.

My Summer Shoes July 29^th 2019

Another question that seems to come up over and over again is “Are you still wearing French Sole shoes?”

Full Archives…

The French Sole Story

French Sole first began life in the 1960’s when shoe designer Jane Winkworth was a teenager and holidaying in the South of France. As a life-long devotee of everything “ballet” Jane adored wearing ballet flats. After stumbling upon a tiny store in St Tropez which sold a range of brightly coloured ballet flats, she bought several pairs. She decided there and then that one day she would design and sell her own range of ballet flats for everyday wear - and so the story begins.

Read more about The French Sole Story…