Sport Meets Sophistication: Introducing Helene

What the early Olympic games have to do with our Helene ballet flat

Our version of a ballet flat gets its name from Hélène de Pourtalès, a pioneer for women in sports and an Olympic champion. As one of the first women to compete in the Olympic games, Hélène paved the way for today’s greats: Katie, Simone, Sha’Carri, Diana, Ilona and so many others.

It’s no secret that we endorse women’s empowerment and equality here at TFR, which means we were, obviously, glued to our televisions for much of July and August watching the Summer Olympics in Paris. For the first time in Olympic history, these 2024 games had an equal number of men and women competing. But it was the women who shone in these games, bringing home more than half of the medals for powerhouses like Team USA, China and Australia, and breaking many records along the way. 

It took a long time to get to gender parity. The first modern Olympics, held in Athens in 1896, had 241 athletes. And they were all males. That same year, it was announced that women would be allowed to compete in the next games to be held in Paris in 1900. There, women were allowed to compete in no more than five disciplines: golf, tennis, sailing, croquet, and equestrianism. Unsurprisingly, this was not welcomed news. But it opened the door for the first 20 women to compete in an Olympic games, including Hélène de Pourtalès.

Hélène’s sport was sailing, an interest ignited by her father when she was a child. She also had great female mentors in the sport, including Baroness Julie von Rothschild, whose passion and competitive spirit earned her the title of “fastest yachting lady” of her day. Hélène married Hermann de Pourtalès, a fellow yachtsman who shared her passion for sailing. They competed together in multiple regattas, eventually qualifying for the 1900 Olympics where they won two medals for Switzerland––a gold and silver––and Hélène became the first female Olympic Gold medalist on May 22, 1900, at the age of 32. 

Hélène's fame after the 1900 Games was short-lived, not least due to the prevailing negative sentiment among the press and rest of society about women in sport. She spent the rest of her life in anonymity. Hélène's passion, competitive spirit, and fearlessness in a place where she wasn’t fully welcome are an inspiration for the women of TFR.

SHOP THE HELENE BALLET FLAT