I think every gal over the age of 21 has had at least one of those occasions in heels that leaves your feet numb for several days following. You opted for gorgeous stilettos then:
a) realised the wedding was cocktail, and you weren’t going to sit down for the next 9 hours
b) ended up trekking from one end of the city to the other
c) ended up dancing all night
d) ended up walking home when you couldn’t get a cab or
e) all of the above
… and paid the price severely afterwards.
Perhaps it doesn’t have to be that way, sublime seekers. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good heel as much as the next girl, but I think we often underestimate the potential of flats to complete or even make a wow outfit. There also comes times in each of our lives (a job with lots of running around, knee surgery for LJ-C, severely damaged feet from too many of the aforementioned evenings) when flats are not only a better option… but the only option. No matter where you’re at on your journey to flats, today I plan to open your mind to the myriad of options out there! Visual break, a cluster of flats I currently own and love:
I have scoured far and wide for flats for you and I’ll be upfront; a great deal of my scouring has been in the USA. I know people can be nervous about buying shoes online, especially if they’re coming from afar. Nevertheless, I have found the savings and the variety have made shopping for shoes in the States a total no brainer. Often the discount or value alone covers the freight-forwarding if a provider doesn’t ship direct. If you’re worried about sizes, read the reviews (especially good on sites like Zappos – the world’s largest online shoe retailer) to see if the product runs large or small. Anyway, lets begin!
If I could only have one pair of shoes for the rest of my life…
I would die, this is clearly a life not worth living! Jokes aside, if I could only have one pair of shoes, it would be these babies. I have bought, and worn out, four pairs of them. They are from Witchery, this season the style name is Carla, they are $99.95 (there is an extra 20% off for Witchery members this weekend) and I cannot live without them. For me, a black patent flat is go-to for any event. They work with a casual outfit, a work outfit and thanks to patent being that bit dressier, can also scrape through in a more dressy event. The patent finish also means they wear very well and don’t get super scratched up! Witchery’s flat are a great cut (every year except last year, thank goodness it’s been fixed again!), 100% leather including the lining (so they mould to your foot and are comfy) and have the perfect amount of flexibility in the soul to make them comfy to walk (shop) in for hours on end. These shoes are so good they wholeheartedly deserve their own section in this post and are truly, sublime finds!
Luckily for me and you, we aren’t limited to just one pair. Onwards we roll! (Today, the further you scroll the more exciting they get!)
Best of the rest of the basics:
1. Cotton On Dancer in Tan Crossweave, $16.95 (not a typo! They come in black and other patters too – at this price you can buy them all!); 2. Witchery Carla (again!) cause they come in lots of colours, including this lovely neutral, $99.95; 3. Seed Heritage Fashion Betty Ballet (in black snake and silver too), $99.95; 4. Cotton On Dancer in Nautical, $5.00 (WITH FREE SHIPPING! Use code: SHIPFREE, I *just* bought a pair!) 5. Jo Mercer Pannell, $109.95 (second pair half price this weekend!); 6. Sambag Tina Metallic Navy Ballet Flat, $180 (Sambag are the original king of flats – you’ll pay for the privilege but never be short on options); 7. Target Indiana Leather Ballet Flat, $40
On Point (my favourite shape for work):
1. Coach Wilma Flat, $310; 2. Zara Shiny Leather Velvet Slip On, $59.90 USDs; 3. Prada Point Toe Tassel Ballerina Flat, $775.92 via Avenue K; 4. Witchery Pearl Pointed Flat, on sale for $79.95; 5. Aldo Lythgoe $50 USDs; 6. Wittner Sylvani, $139.95; 7. Witchery Adrianna Flats, $129.95; 8. Zara Leather Ballet Flats with Studs $59.90 USDs; 9. Country Road Carrie Pointed Flat $99.95 (25% off that atm!) 10. kate spade new york Too Gabe Pointy Toe Flat, $347.68 via Avenue K
Flat does not mean boring! Statement Flats in Bold Colours:
1. Country Road Claudia Ballet Flat in Red $99.95 (25% off this weekend from the looks of it); 2. Oroton Elements Metallic Ballet Flats in Aqua Sea on sale for $105; 3. Salvatore Ferragamo Ballet Flats in Vienna $792.88 via Avenue K; 4. Kurt Geiger Lassie Flats, $112.36 via Avenue K; 5. Nine West Speak Up (these come in ELEVEN different finishes), $69 USDs via Zappos; 6. Mimco Fiction Ballet, on sale for $89; 7. Sambag Tina Mandarin Patent Ballet Flats, $180; 8. kate spade new york Gabe Flats (I debuted my pair of these yesterday! Major hit!) $258 USDs 9. Banana Republic Carter Flats, $118 USDs
Flats for jumping through puddles:
(I have a serious weakness for a PVC flat! I think it’s a childhood throwback to Jellies)
1. Mel by Melissa Mel Pop IV in beige (three other colours too!), $45USDs via Zappos; 2. Ted Baker Escinta in Pink (three other colours here as well!), $85 USDs via Zappos
The Funnest Flats that ever there was:
1. kate spade new york Racer Flats, $278 USDs; 2. kate spade new york Go Taxi Flats, $278 USDs; 3. Marc by Marc Jacobs Mouse Ballerina Flats, $160.99 USDs via Zappos; 4. Marc by Marc Jacobs d’Orsay Mouse Ballerina Flats in Gold, $310.58 via Avenue K; 5. Charlotte Olympia Kiss Me Kitty Velvet Slipper $869.20 via Avenue K 6. Alice + Olivia Stacey Face Pointy Flat, $368.88 via Avenue K; 7. Coach Marah Platinum Glitter (omg I HAVE TO have these!), $112.99 USDs via Zappos 8. Mimco Smoking Gun Slipper in Lobster Red, $149.95 (must have these too, holy whiz); 9. Mel by Melissa Blueberry, $49.95 via Wanted Shoes; 10. Flamingo Suede Smoking Slipper by C.Wonder; $138 USDs (extra 25% off atm!)
There’s no reason you can’t feel fancy in flats! Here are some for after-dark, more formal occasions:
1. Country Road Carrie Metallic Flat – I bought these a couple of weeks ago and LOVE them, $99.95 (looks to be 25% off that price atm! 2. Zara Ballerina Flats with Crystals, $59.90 USDs; 3. Christian Louboutin Body Strass Pointed Toe Ballerina Flats, $1244.44 via Avenue K; 4. Zara Shiny Ballerina Flats, $79.90 USDs; 5. Giorgio Armani Embellished Pointed Flats; $895 via Maryons
Some tips!
- Don’t be afraid to let your shoe make your outfit! I’m a big fan of block colours or black with a FABULOUS shoe to set your outfit off!
- If you’re buying a suede shoe, you must, must waterproof it before you wear it. It’s the only way to get good milage out of them.
- If you’re buying a metallic shoe, never use a cleaning product on it, even a clear one, that isn’t designed specifically for metallic. It will very possibly strip the colour.
- Flats (especially staples) are an AWESOME excuse for shoe clips! Shoe clips are an especially great way to make a flat feel a little fancy for a special event!
Flats don’t have to mean boring or ‘sensible’ (someone called me ‘so sensible’ in flats once and I wanted to stab them, who wants to be described as ‘sensible’!?!). Be kind to those lovely feets of yours by keeping them out of heels a bit more often AND be super stylish at the same time… go on I dare you!
♥ AS
Where’s your go-to location for fabulous flats? Got a flat pun in your head? Share with the other sublime seeking flat-lovers out there!
4 Comments
Those witchery Carla flats will be walking their way into my wardrobe very shortly.
I feel certain they’ll quickly become a staple!
Oh dear God, I am having a serious case of shoe passion, I love flats.
Andrea, we love your fabulous picks!!! Thank you for including us in this story. We love shoes…oh yes we do! Robbie from http://www.avenuek.com