The Eight Essential Flats

There are some days that I can't be bothered to faff with heels only to have to deploy the Ballet-Flat-Backup-Plan (in all honesty, it's about half of the days). While the handbag-handy ballet flat an essential part of an urban dweller's shoe arsenal (you'll see my suggestion for said flat below), there are plenty of days when I want to wear flats to work. As a grown woman who does what she wants, I've curated my Eight Essential Flats to guide my shoe purchasing.

Just like The Eight Essential Heels, these suggestions are selected in order to limit redundancy and maximize flexibility. The goal is that you'll have the appropriate shoe at the ready for any flat-wearing occasion befalling your schedule.

As always, notable omissions:

• Flip-flops have an intended purpose: the gym shower or the pool deck. For some reason, $26 Havaianas in public always seemed to be accompanied by an old pedicure and cracked heels. I'll be keeping my Havaianas in my gym bag and not in my closet.
• Athletic shoes & other specialty items are too personal to list here. Your barefoot running foot glove is not going to work for the super-stability running shoe wearer. Shoes that are meant to do a heavy duty job (like running, walking in 3 foot snow, trudging through sidewalk floods) will not be tackled in this iteration.

The Old Faithful

To be clear, this is the spot a lot of women would fill with Tory Burch Revas. I'm not going to lie, I've had a pair in my life. But as a woman with her own point of view, I'm proposing a flat that shows off a little more personality. To maximize wear, these shoes have to be polished and a little bit off-beat.
Vince Nina D'Orsay Flat | Black Leather

The Grocery Store

If you're the type of person that wears your cropped, black, skinny pants to the grocery store on a Sunday morning, you'll understand this completely. Sometimes looking good is just as easy as looking like a hungover college student. These are as quick to put on as the dreaded flip flop, but you'll look like a grown woman. Magic.

Emerson Fry Slides | Black Leather

The Granny

Grannies know what's up. They've lived and learned and told us time and time again that Birkenstocks are the most comfortable shoes out there. There are plenty of styles and colors to suit varying personalities, but to no one's surprise, mine are the classic, black Arizonas. I cannot tell you how excited I am that these are back in style. Wear them with anything from cropped denim skinny jeans to short dresses.

Birkenstock Arizona | Black Birko-Flor

The Beach Vacation

Up your game with a versatile pair of flat sandals. If you're trying to break your Havaianas habit, substitute The Beach Vacation every time you feel yourself reaching for that hunk of foam and rubber. If you, however, find that they're not "working" with the original outfit, you need another kind of shoe (and the flip flops weren't appropriate to begin with).

Sam Edelman Gigi | Saddle Leather

The Insurance Policy

Throw these in your purse every time you wear heels. It's okay that these are a little more pedestrian (c'mon--that is an awesome pun) because they're a backup, albeit essential shoe to own. They fold up and store in a drawstring pouch to keep you handbag insides clean and are great quality and very comfortable.
Tieks Folding Ballerina Flat | Matte Black

The Business Plan

This is a great spot to fill with a loafer, lace-up oxford, or other substitute that suits your personal style. I love these slip-on oxfords from Alexander Wang for their architectural construction and contemporary feel. These are perfect to wear with a tiny cuff in your skinny jeans for a menswear inspired look.
Alexander Wang Kori Oxford | Black Leather

The Errand Runner

If your weekends involve walking a dog then running to the grocery store after quickly grabbing a coffee, you need a fashion forward sneaker in your shoe-drobe. Nike Free Runs are hugely popular, but I really don't like their newest release. These have a retro feel, but the color-ways are very modern.
Asics Onitsuka Tiger Ultimate 81 | Black/Stone Grey

The Commuter

Urban dwellers will understand that commuting in your 4" heels is totally impractical. Between sidewalk grates, cobblestones, and pavement cracks, walking for any distance downtown can be dangerous as well as damaging to your expensive shoes. In comes The Commuter. Smart enough to wear on your way to work, but equally perfect with jeans on the weekend for brunch.

Vans Perf Leather Classic Slip On | Black

Bonus

You need shoe liners. These are no-show, comfortable, and stay up due to a gel back that cups your lower ankle. Stinky feet will never be your problem again.
Hue Hidden Cotton Liners | Black