I like to keep my feet and toenails well groomed because it makes my feet feel good and look good. Particularly since I expose my feet all year round at yoga. That’s also why I used to get regular pedicures and apply polish to my toenails. 

But at the end of last year, both of my big toenails tore horizontally right in the middle of the nail, all the way through to the nail bed. It looked awful, felt uncomfortable, and was very impractical because my toenails would get hooked on my socks. 

I’m not sure how they tore. I thought it might have been a particular pair of shoes that was causing pressure in that area. Or perhaps toenail polish made my toenails brittle and weak. So I stopped wearing a pair of boots that might have been the culprits, and I stopped applying toenail polish and having professional pedicures. I carefully nursed my big toenails back to health. I used disinfectant daily for a while, and a bit of nail glue until the nails grew to a point where I could cut them neatly. I also moisturized my feet meticulously throughout this time. After a couple of months, it was simply a question of growing the toenails back out evenly. 

On the advice of the forum, I started applying a clear nail strengthener to my toenails once the torn parts of the nails could be cut away. I also started taking a Biotin tablet daily. Four months later and my torn toenails have completely recovered and look strong. 

I love the way my feet look after a professional pedicure, and I adore wearing the awfully pretty “Kyoto Pearl” polish on my toenails. But at this point I’m weary of toenail tearing. I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but until I figure it out I’m sticking with the Biotin and a clear nail strengthener.

Most fashion bloggers, street style celebrities, movie stars, and models are photographed wearing heels of three inches and higher. That’s fine, and they look fabulous wearing their heels. But you can look every bit as fab in flats. 

As recently as five years ago, a dressy look without heels was considered a complete compromise, not the ideal way to go, and to some fashion professionals — a faux pas. Heels magically elevate your style.

• They make you look taller
• They increase the vertical integrity of an outfit
• They create a professional and dressier look
• They elongate the leg line, which is traditionally flattering
• They accentuate calf muscles, which looks alluring
• They improve posture

YES. Heeled footwear can do all these wonderful things. But heels can also be fussy, overly dressy, slow you down, make you feel too tall, look wrong in an outfit, and above all, feel uncomfortable.

Fortunately, fashion has finally come around to flat footwear and gone are the days when heels were the only way to amp up your style. Comfortable footwear has been making a trendy statement for several seasons, and thankfully there’s no stopping the momentum. Flat footwear is on trend, stylish and modern.  

Those who are tall, relatively long in the leg, and/or lead a casual lifestyle probably find it easier to have a style sans heels. That said, if you are neither tall nor long in the leg, and lead a dressier lifestyle, don’t let that deter you from wearing a less-than-one-inch heel, and here’s why:

• DRESSY flats do exist. You can absolutely create a professional appearance in upscale flats when the rest of the outfit is dressy and polished. 

• You can manipulate outfit proportions so that your legs look longer in flats by sporting bottoms at a flattering length, showcasing the waist with a tucked or semi-tucked top, and wearing a column of colour. 

• Wearing flats that are low contrast to your skin tone elongate the leg line. 

• Pointy toe boxes elongate the leg line. 

• Career wear dresses and skirts can look great with dressy flats when the hemlines are slightly shorter. 

You can’t increase your height or accentuate your calf muscles in flats, but you shouldn’t feel that you have to. Make a statement and ROCK YOUR FLATS if they make you and your feet happy. That’s empowering, and will effortlessly improve your posture. 

I’m at the stage where I’m in one inch flats or very low one and half inch heels most of the time and making it part of my signature style. I don’t like footwear that’s lower than an inch because they feel unsupportive and too close to the ground. Higher than one and half inches usually hurts the balls of my feet and makes my arches ache (although I do make the exception for the occasional pair of “sitting shoes”). I’m a dressy person, so dressy flats are becoming my thing. Here are some dressier outfits with flats that I found inspiring.

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You might remember the ultra casual soft and flowing wide trouser from the early and mid ‘90s in fabrics like linen, rayon, viscose, cotton, polyester, and silk. They were wide from hip to hem. They usually had a high rise, a full or half elastic waist, or a drawstring waist. Some versions had zippers and fly fronts for a more structured appearance. These wide trousers were CASUAL and quite “beachy”. You wore them with flat sandals, espadrilles, loafers, flip flops, mules, ballet flats, huaraches, or platform sneakers. By flats, I mean heels no higher than an inch

I remember wearing the casual soft wide trouser in patterns and light neutrals with long white slouchy open-weave pullovers, and boxy silk button down shirts. The combination was overwhelming and not very flattering, but very comfortable for a hot Cape Town Summer. The soft wide pants looked better paired with a short fitted T-shirt or cropped form-fitting wrap top, which I wore too. By adding structure up top, the pants did not overwhelm my frame. Nor did I look short in the leg in flats. 

A very similar soft and flowing wide trouser has been on trend in our current fashion era. The collection below showcases great examples. They’ve been styled with casual flats, just like they should be (to my eye the vibe looks off with heels.) The lengths look dead right too. You want them no shorter than a quarter of an inch off the ground for maximum elegant swoosh and vertical integrity. 

I can’t tell you how many of my clients love the idea of the casual soft wide Summer trouser, fitted on a slew of styles, but were disappointed with the visual effect. Most of the trousers are too wide in the leg and too high in the rise. Many felt dumpy, overwhelmed, sloppy, and short in the leg wearing untucked tops with the vibe despite the long length of the trousers. 

That said, every so often we find a great pair that aren’t too voluminous, and my clients rave about the look. Wearing them with a more structured, untucked top is much more flattering. Fluid tops with welts work well because the welt tempers the volume of both the top and bottom. Semi-tucking a fluid or oversized top to create a bit of waist definition does wonders, as does keeping the length of the top short to showcase more of the waist and upper hip. Adding a fitted and short denim jacket to the mix adds further structure to the outfit. 

I like the way Massimo Dutti styled their casual soft wide trouser here. Showcasing the waist marries the roomy pieces to create a hint of structure. It’s a great alternative to dresses and skirts in the Summertime, and a more covered option than shorts. Elegant and chic yet very relaxed. Who’s going to try it?

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Bobbi Brown’s next enterprise, an interesting initiative from Universal Standard, new appointments at Vogue, and more fashion news that caught our attention in April.

• Edward Enninful is taking over from Alexandra Shulman as editor-in-chief of British Vogue.
• Meanwhile, Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz has been replaced by Manuel Arnaut after only two issues at Vogue Arabia.
• Make-up pioneer Bobbi Brown has launched a concept shop featuring apparel, wellness products, and some beauty products that will appear in five different Lord & Taylor stores and also online.
• Starting this September, New York Fashion Week will go from an eight-day schedule to seven days of runway shows.
• With its University Fit Liberty programme, plus-size clothing brand Universal Standard is offering customers the opportunity to swap out previously purchased items of clothing for different sizes one year within originally purchasing them.
• Amazon has unveiled Echo Look, a camera meant to “help you look your best.” It gives feedback using Style Check, an app that uses an algorithm to compare and rate your outfit options.
• The “Irving Penn: Centennial” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is celebrating the work of the renowned photographer.

Fun Fashion Fact

It is said that the term “Canadian tuxedo” comes from the denim tuxedo jacket Levi’s made especially for Bing Crosby after he and a friend weren’t allowed to book a room at a Vancouver hotel because the actor was wearing a “dingy” denim jacket and jeans. Eventually he was recognized and they were allowed to stay the night. When Levi’s got word of the tale, they decided this wouldn’t happen again and created the special jacket for him.