Flats vs. heels
Thursday, June 18, 2009I'm a stiletto girl, through and through. I wear high heels on weekends, running errands, out for coffee, to movies. I have the same perception of flats as I do of bikini briefs--unless I'm working out or so sick I can barely move, they don't see the light of day. Fashion trumps comfort every time. If given the choice of being 5'6" and 125 pounds or 5'10" and 125 pounds, I'll pick 5'10". I'll take any extra inches to my stumpy legs that I can get.
When I was in NYC in February and Toronto in April, however, I saw lots of fashionable ladies rocking the flats. Flat boots, ballerina flats, flats of all shapes and colours. Granted, these gals doubtless have a lot more on-foot commuting to do, whereas I drive to work every day and park in client parking spots about five feet from the building in the designated staff parking area which is a bit of a hike away. It got me thinking about flats in a new way. Maybe they aren't just shoes to wear to the gym and during bouts of vomiting. Maybe flats have a place in a work wardrobe too!
In May I bought some very basic black ballet flats and have been incorporating them here and there on weekends, and yesterday I wore them to work with my LBD. The freedom! The comfort! I had a meeting downtown (read: very hilly neighbourhoods) and didn't have to concentrate on not breaking my neck or avoiding sewer grates. My feet hadn't puffed up to twice their A.M. size by 6:00 P.M.
In fact, I liked them so much I got inspired to visit Payless last night and take advantage of their BOGO sale to pick up these babies: 
I'm wearing a pair today, and it feels weird to be so close to the ground. Weird, but awesome.
I'm not fully converted to the flatlands but there will definitely be some mixing and matching happening this summer. It's easier to take lunchtime walks in the sun, hoof it to happy hour on a patio and scoot around town when I'm not getting tangled up in spiky heels. If I'm being chased, I'll be able to escape more easily. If I have to chase someone...say, an ice cream truck...I'm more likely to catch them. FTW!
8 comments
I'm a little too solidly in the flats camp, so I've been trying to incorporate the heel more into my everyday outfits. Mostly so I don't look like I'm an idiot in heels for dressy occasions. But living in a city with hills (and not owning a car...running for the bus is sort of out) makes it quite the challenge. I thought I was going to tip over and bust up my front teeth trying to wobble down part of Cornwallis St.
ReplyDeleteI am an awkward 5'8"; awkward only because I'm always tripping and falling or bumping into random things... like walls... I just have no balance. So I really don't wear heels! I mean, I will on very special occasions. but I'm always sporting cute flats, and let me tell you-- if you find the right pair, you can feel just as cute as when you're wearing big heels. Well, almost as cute, at least :) the ones you found are great!! I looove BOGO!
ReplyDeleteI am definitely a flats kind of girl. But when I work, I alternate between flats and heels, depending on how far I have to walk.
ReplyDeleteIf I take the bus, forget it. It's ballet flats.
if I have the car, or if the bus drops off right in front of the client site, then the heels are broken out
I like flats and heels, but generally wear flats. I've actually been known to wear my converse hi-tops with dresses. I call it "London Street", but part of it might be that I like when my boyfriend towers over me a little, haha.
ReplyDeleteI am TOTALLY a fan of the flats, and the ones you've shown here are super cute. I may have to go look for those!
ReplyDeleteI should probably, however, also try incorporating more heels into my outfits, especially as I'm nearing my mid-20s. My favorite pair of black flip-flops probably won't get me very far in life. Sigh.
@L-A The hills are killer downtown. The other week I had to walk from Hollis up to Barrington (and back down) in 4-inchers and had to concentrate so hard on not eating pavement.
ReplyDelete@Sarah BOGO is a lovely thing! Payless is hit and miss but right now there are plenty of cute shoes.
@FB I've been wearing heels everywhere but my feet are starting to feel like a 90-year-old lady's. I need to save the feets!
@Aine the other day me and the BF were almost the same height b/c of my shoes. He's 5'11" so that was weird :)
@katy Payless seriously has countless nice sandals right now. I was surprised with the awesome selection!
"It feels so weird to be so close to the ground" Hahah!!
ReplyDeleteI could not imagine wearing heels everyday, so good for you! I am mostly a flats girls (perhaps because I am 5'10") but contrary to you, I have been working this year to wear heels more often than only special occasions. If you have size 9 feet, we should do a shoe swap ;)
Im much shorter than you - not even 5'1 - but I do a mix of both flats and heels. It all depends on my mood and the look Im going for. To me, flats say "cute" whereas heels say "sexy" and often "professional." Being that I'm on my feet all the time, I have to be pretty careful about the shoes I wear, so I tend to try wear heels 3 days a week to school and relax a bit in flats the other two days. But I think overall, I'm a big believer that if the shoes are cute, it doesnt really matter if they're heels or flats.
ReplyDelete