At this juncture, I don’t think it will strike anyone as surprising to call Bill Gaytten’s collections for Dior “safe.” After all, just look at Dior Fall 2012, specifically its shoes: What’s more unoffensive than a literal take on ballerina chic? While the critics among as might use words like “safe” and “unoffensive” as backhanded insults, though, those descriptors often turn into profits when a brand has a customer base as dedicated as Dior’s. These shoes may not be thought-provoking, but for a certain woman, they’re very wearable.

Which is not to say that they’re comfortable-looking; on the contrary, they look like Dior’s shoemakers are attempting to get the wearer as close to en pointe as possible. These designs have a classic style, though, and in the luxurious neutrals that we saw on the runway, they’ll undoubtedly sell well to people who aren’t particularly interested in the behind-the-scenes business machinations of the fashion industry. Luckily for Dior, that’s a sizable group of people.

Images via Vogue.com