Cracking the flat case

November 3rd, 2010 → 10:00 am @


Last week my blogger friend Janine asked me to tackle different ways of wearing flats. While heels tend to hog the spotlight in the fashion world, I’m sure most of us have had those breaking moments of wanting to toss all our various pairs out (especially after a night of walking through the city). I want to begin by showing you 4 different types of flats I’m loving right now, and a few ways of wearing them.

Now unless you are a super tall, stick thin girl, the problem with flats is they don’t help out the leg-elongating process. So I’ll also be giving you a few tips on how to address the issue when choosing which flats to go with. Enjoy!

Ballet Flats

Make it casual by pairing them with skinny jeans, or dress them up with a form fitting dress to keep you looking long and slim


The great thing about ballet flats is they really go with just about anything, and can transition from casual to formal easily. Slim cut with a good amount of skin exposure makes them easy to pair with pants, shorts, and dresses alike. My suggestion is to choose a pair that has fun detailing such as these chunky gold embellished ones from Free People, or with a slight pointed tip like my black pair by Fairy Tales are True. This will both give them added interest for a dressier look and make your legs look nice and slim.

Oxfords

Oxfords like these Deena and Ozzy's add a touch of whimsy to your outfit, and have beautiful detailing that allows your flats to become a statement piece.


A pair of flat oxfords are perfect for fall/winter, and look great when paired with straight cut jeans. I am not a fan of a matching flats with any pant wider cut than that, which tends to make your legs look stubby. Show off your oxfords’ detailing by rolling you pant legs an inch or so above your ankle.

Canvas sneakers

These cute floral printed shoes are from Urban Outfitters for just $20!

Find a pair of colorful, printed canvas sneakers for a great balance of style and comfort. They are sweet enough to go with dresses and skirts, and look perfect with straight cut jeans. I hate the weird chicken leg proportions created when they are paired with skinny jeans (and have unfortunately given in to putting the two together plenty of times myself), so try to avoid them.

Tall flat boots

Even an oversized grandpa cardi and jeggings look put together with tall, sleek boots.


If you are going to invest in a pair of flat shoes this season, tall boots should be a priority. They will make literally any outfit look chic, and are super comfortable and versatile. Look for a pair that either are lace-ups or have some fun metal detail like these Jessica Simpson boots, but try to avoid boots that have bulging multiple buckles and straps – these defeat the sleekness factor.

I’ll be on the lookout for more “flatspiration”; heels are fun but if I’m standing for more than an hour I can’t bear the thought of wearing them! Flats have a bad rep of being casual, boring, and not sexy, but I’m on a mission to bust that myth!

How do you wear your flats? Do you have any interesting pairings to inspire us? Let me know!

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