When I die somewhere on my tombstone it will probably read: "Spent her life endlessly searching for stylish comfortable shoes." Seriously, this search occupies so many of my waking moments because of how much time I spend on my feet working. And let's not get into the additional request from my clients.
During my search for comfortable sandals this summer, I finally decided on a pair of flatforms for a few good reasons. First, I need to look like I know what I am doing as a stylist. While I'm not about to sacrifice the health of my feet, or my general mood, by teetering around in high heels all day, I'm certainly not going to walk around in the 42 year old equivalent of orthopedic shoes either. So I am constantly searching for that middle ground, which can be hard in the summer.
On most days, I an count on my trusted Birkenstock Giezhs which are super comfortable and at least fall somewhere within the realm of good style. However, I found myself relying on these shoes too much and even they were starting to get uncomfortable from too-frequent wear. Plus, they're not always the perfect choice. I can't wear those super flat sandals. You know the ones I am talking about. They have absolutely no support and the soles look like two flimsy pieces of cardboard. My plantar fasciitis hurts just looking at other people walking around in those types of shoes. I do have a pair of comfortable wedges, but even those were starting to make my feet hurt. As I continued my search, the playing field just started to get smaller and smaller. I wanted a pair of stylish and comfortable sandals that looked good with pants and dresses, and maybe shorts, had enough support so I could be on my feet for several hours on end, and didn't have too high of a heel. This is how I ended up with my flatforms.
Flatforms have been around for several seasons now. When I first noticed their return they just seemed too clunky and reminiscent of my early 20's. Many pairs just lacked any support and hardly looked comfortable. Yet, this season I noticed the fit of these shoes have gotten smarter with a tiny built in heel and better arch support. Plus, after a few seasons of seeing these shoes, the chunky heels started to appeal to me again. Funny how trends often need to grow on us. I bought this pair by Sam Edelman.
What I love about this particular pair is that they look good dressed up and down. I wore them with white cropped jeans two weeks ago and last week with this navy dress during a heatwave. Would I walk for miles and miles in them? No. But can be on my feet for hours without feeling like someone is putting hot stakes into my heels? Yes.
If you are looking for a comfortable pair of trendy sandals that won't make your feet hate you, give a pair of flatforms a look. For some outfit ideas for your flatforms, take a look at these ensembles below along with some additional styles to check out at the end of the post.
Flatforms outfit #1
Wedges can work with shoes, but sometimes you just don't want to walk around in heels. You just want a bit of leg length. Flatforms can achieve this. I particularly like this pair from Steve Madden because they have comfortable footbeds that can mold to your feet while the flatform gives you a bit of height. I styled these sandals with a pair of khaki J. Crew shorts, a navy top from Vince Camuto, white saddle bag from Rebecca Minkoff, hoops from Nordstrom and bracelets from LOFT.
Flatforms outfit #2
Here I styled my pair of flatforms with pants. I quite like the way they look with ankle length and crop pants, like I styled above with this floral pair from Boden, a sleeveless top from Theory that I accessorized with a blue tote from Banana Republic, necklace from Ann Taylor and wrap bracelet from Nordstrom. I also plan on wearing these new flatforms of mine with shorts too.
Flatforms outfit #3
Flatforms can be great because they can give you some height without having to commit to heels. Don't discount them with your dresses where you feel like heels won't cut it. Of course, flatforms won't be good substitutes where a daintier pair of heels are needed, but for casual dresses they can be perfect. Here, for example, I styled these Cole Haan flatforms with an asymetrical dress from Athleta. To give this sportier dress a more elegant look, I added this necklace from Bauble Bar and this coloblocked bag from Furla.
Shop for Flatforms
Thinking of adding some flatforms to your wardrobe? Check out these additional styles.
