The slipper flat was inspired by the classic gents bedroom slipper and looks a little like a loafer. It’s less feminine than a ballet flat, but not quite as masculine as flat oxfords. I am very much a yay vote for the style. I can see the slipper flat making a nice change to more mainstream ballet flats and flat oxfords when the weather warms up.

Classic flat loafers are supposed to be making a huge comeback for Spring and Summer, and they have been the first thing on my warm weather shopping list as soon as I came back from September Fashion Week. But I’m wondering whether I should spring for a pair of slipper flats instead. Perhaps I need a pair of slipper flats and loafers. 

I think it’s cool that they resemble dapper menswear bedroom slippers. My almost 80 year old Dad will probably think that they are menswear slippers. What’s your verdict on the slipper flat?

Diana LOVES the coats over at Cabbages & Roses. She is crossing her fingers that this British retailer comes to the US because the company’s core values of beauty, simplicity, longevity, integrity and sustainability are wonderful. 

London Kiwi really enjoyed reading an article in The Guardian about the The Magic of Marilyn Monroe. Actress Michelle Williams plays Marilyn Monroe in an upcoming film called “My Week with Marilyn”, which celebrates the star’s timeless off duty style. Here’s a super slide show on how to recreate Marilyn’s look in the movie. I want the orange handbag. 

Helen in Canada is looking forward to Madonna’s new movie “W.E.”. The movie is based on the true story of Edward VII and his love affair with a divorced American woman called Wallis Simpson. Madonna directed the movie and you can watch the trailer that accompanies a short commentary in the Huffington Post. 

Vildy points us to The Daily Prep, where Muffy Aldrich offers a contrarian view about jeans. No one in her family owns jeans and they lead a very outdoorsy life. 

Laurinda is intrigued by wool fibres, namely why most wool is itchy yet cashmere is often not itchy at all. She found an interesting article about wool fibres on The Girl From Auntie explaining the phenomenon. It’s all in the scale of the fibre. 

Kappy enjoyed looking at Lisa Leonard’s “What I Wore Wednesday” because she has a fun and approachable style. 

Vicki liked the advice on how to soothe dry winter nails and hands in the Los Angeles Times. If home remedies are your thing, be sure to read the suggestions. 

Rae wholeheartedly agrees when Sal from Already Pretty considers the taboo against altering high-end items. If you own it, you have the privilege of altering it. Cheers to that! My motto is: Your wardrobe items are there for you — you are NOT there for them. 

Inge was excited to find out via Rizzoli that Lizzie Garrett Mettler, the author of Tomboy Style, has also written a book about the history and evolution of this style. 

MaryK says to check out the party dresses at belle maison, her favourite decorating blog. MaryK loves the Trina Turk frock right at the bottom.   

Tarzy shares her fun article on the Barbie Collector about Personal Color Analysis that’s illustrated with Barbie dolls. Barbie asks you What’s Your Season? Thanks to all YLF’ers who contributed to her research.

Brenda recommends browsing through The Vivienne Files. She thinks the blogger is great at laying out wardrobe items that work well together.

Ana, who adores historical fashion, was fascinated with a post about Tinted Glass Spectacles of 1830 in Two Nerdy History Girls. Sunglasses have been around a long time, ladies! 

I bat for Team Dressy, but typically wear very casual clothing on a Sunday when I work from home, run errands, catch up on stuff around the house and take our doggie Rosie for a walk. This is a typical casual outfit when it’s not too cold outside. On a colder day I’d have worn a turtleneck and boots, and popped on a scarf, hat, gloves and possibly a puffer coat. 

I have a very hard time feeling fabulous in a t-shirt no matter how I slice and dice it. But I fancy a black and white graphic striped tee and believe it’s a true wardrobe classic. I have precisely one T-shirt (if you don’t count the ones I sleep in) and this is it. Occasionally I’ll wear it layered under a blazer or jacket with a scarf so that just a hint of the stripe is visible. For the rest of the time I prefer to wear my striped T over a crisp un-tucked white button down shirt like a pullover. 

I like a boat neck T layered this way because it exposes more of the white shirt. I either pop the collar leaving a few top buttons undone, or I’ll completely button up the shirt as shown here. Sometimes, I button up and pop the collar because my giraffe neck enjoys the extra coverage. I’ve been treating my shirt collars this way since the ’80s and it still feels right.

I know I’m in the minority with my preference for a strict and buttoned up look, especially when it comes to wearing stiff button down shirts for casual wear. So I totally understand that the combination is not your cup of tea. But wearing a T-shirt this way makes it feel more like my style, and I’m extremely comfortable in the pairing. I also like the look of untidy cuffs, so I leave them to do their unbuttoned thing most of the time. 

For my casual style, I’m perfectly happy to wear uber casual items on the bottom half of my outfit like  faded jeans, rugged flat boots and fashion sneakers. But the top part has to stay fairly tailored and dressy. Layering the button down shirt is one way of achieving a dressier vibe, but I take it a step further by adding in a structured jacket like a blazer or cropped jacket. Here I’m wearing a short military jacket with a double zipper and fun printed satin lining. It’s made of a knitted fabrication so it’s soft and cozy like a cardigan. 

Although I bat for Team Skinnies, I still love to wear my bootcuts, keeping the hems as long as possible, just sweeping the surface of the ground. I also adore basic Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers and have several pairs in different colours. I find their white soles and laces absolutely magical and just don’t tire of the look. Also, I think it’s phenomenally cool that the exact same style of shoe can still look hip after many, many decades. I totally want to keep on supporting the legacy of the style. I do make my Chucks more comfortable by inserting an additional cushioning insole. 

I do not wear accessories with my casualwear other than a watch, wedding ring and specs. I’ll carry a handbag if I need to carry a wallet. A wool coat goes over the entire outfit and boy am I all bundled up. I’m wearing five layers on top and feeling adequately toasty. Yes! I like to wear jackets under coats for two reasons. First, the added warmth is fab when you have little resistance to the cold like I do. Second, when out and about, it’s nice to take off your coat and still feel pulled together because you’re wearing a structured jacket. 

I bat for Team Flats. One reason is comfort. My feet do not like to arch so flats or low heels are by far the most comfortable options. Another reason is practicality. I often dash around town all day at a fast pace braving the Seattle elements. All that said, I still like to wear heels because of their magical ability to elevate an outfit. I just have to be extremely careful when I select them. 

It’s amazing how many women share similar heel wearing challenges, most of which are rooted in some form of foot discomfort. Some find heels higher than one and a half inches agonizingly uncomfortable on the balls of their feet. Others get cramps in their arches. Some pinky toes are severely squashed no matter how wide the toe box, while bunions can cause immense all over foot pain. Well, between the needs of my own fussy feet and those of my clients, I could write a book on this topic. 

The good news is that there are great heel wearing solutions for Flats Fashionistas if you’re extra mindful about the design details of the shoe. I’ll run through those details so that you can prioritize according to the needs of your lovely feet. Since this is holiday season you may be thinking about buying a pair for someone else. In that case you might be able to use this as a guide.

Cushioning Comfort

It’s essential that all my heels have soft, spongy, cushioning insoles built into the foot bed of the shoe because that design feature relieves some of the pressure on the balls of your arched feet. For extra cushioning comfort, add a separate insole from your local drug store. The Sofft Ramona’s have been a life saver for ladies who have to wear heels all day. The Stuart Weitzman Forsures are even more comfortable because along with a cushioning footbed, there’s a soft width of elastic along the top of the shoe that stretches as you stride. It’s such a clever design detail! I suggested them to my client Karen who is wearing them with her leather dress, and she is thrilled with these pumps. 

Manageable Heel Height 

Heels don’t need to be super high. Unless I’m at a fancy function and can sit all evening, I like a one and a half to two inch heel because that height causes less pressure on the balls of my feet. I find that I can still walk fairly fast in a comfortable low heel, especially when it’s fairly chunky. Stuart Weitzman’s Puffystuff kitten heel is an example of a stable, dainty low heel, while Nine West’s Newkimmie is casual with a chunky low heel (Loafers are making a pretty strong statement next year just in case you were wondering about this particular style). 

Heels with Straps

Some of my clients complain that pumps fall off their feet. I usually suggest heels with some sort of strap to keep the ped in place. Mary Jane styles are a super solution, as are T-Straps like BC’s Big Country pumps. For something a little different, try a hybrid between a pump and an oxford, like Stuart Weitzman’s Midtime. Gorgeous shoe.

Boots Instead of Pumps

Heels can be made even more comfortable when you wear them with cozy socks. This is one of the reasons that I prefer to wear boots and booties than any other form of footwear. My Frye Taylors are wardrobe workhorses because of the manageable chunky low heel and brilliant fit. When I wear them with thicker socks, they are all day city walking shoes. But if you’re after a dressier and more classic ankle boot for the office, a simple sleek style like Stuart Weitzman’s Parttres are ideal. 

Oxfords and Shooties

These high vamped styles provide less coverage than ankle boots but more coverage than pumps. Heeled oxfords like Clarks’ Palmyra Erin and shooties like Fidji’s Alea E872 can be worn with skirts and dresses as well as jeans and trousers. I really enjoy these types of heels because they tend to look more playful than a classic pair of pumps, AND I can wear them with comfy socks and under jeans.

Wedged Heels

Some of my clients find that they can wear a higher heel height when the style is wedged. I have definitely found this to be the case and can wear up to two and half inch wedges, whereas I often battle to traipse around all day in a two and half inch chunky or narrow heel.  Gentle Souls Ridgual wedged booties are as cute as they are comfortable because there is lots of room in the toe box. Amalfi by Rangoni’s Dante style wedge is narrower and more streamlined, but has the added benefit of an elastic upper that moulds to the shape of your foot.

Platforms

Platforms often allow you to wear a higher heel because they minimize the arch of the foot. For example, the Marlo from Kork-Ease has a high three and a quarter inch heel, but it’s one inch platform makes it feel more like a low two and quarter inch heel. La Canadienne Geralda’s two and half inch heel is platformed by five eighths of an inch, so it feels less than a two inch heel on the foot. The wedged style makes it even more comfortable.

Arch Support

Some of my clients also require arch support to prevent foot pain. Footwear brands like Taryn Rose and Dansko provide substantial arch support, but if that’s not sufficient, adding in your own supportive orthotic will probably do the trick. Size up half a size when inserting an orthortic. Taryn Rose’s Kelly is a particularly great choice because it’s wedged with an elasticated vamp, while Dansko’s Rhianna has a platformed advantage. For the longest time, I couldn’t understand why these footwear brands do not work for my feet. I eventually realized that my arches do not require that much support, and over supporting them is actually uncomfortable. 

While the specific examples I have used might not be to your taste, hopefully they illustrate the important design features that will help you find comfortable heeled footwear. In addition, remember that soft leather and a roomy toe box make a shoe more comfortable straight off the bat. And that some shoes can be stretched if they are snug in a particular area.

I’ve mentioned a few brands here that generally make comfortable and good looking heels, but there are plenty more. Brands like Chi Mihara, Anyi Lu, Fitzwell, Reiker, Paul Green, Miz Mooz, Cole Haan, Fly London, Tsubo, Fluevog, Aerosoles, Aquatalia, Naya, Born, Naturalizer, Dr. Marten, Pikolino and Donald Pliner are often worth trying because there is a good chance that they will keep your fussy feet happy. 

Please use the comment section to suggest other brands that make comfortable heeled footwear. Also mention what it is about their designs that makes those heels comfortable. This Flats Fashionista is always interested to hear more about comfortable heeled footwear options.