When I saw these flats in the Gap last week, I instantly fell in love. They’re simple, chic, not too expensive ($39.50), and clever — they come with a sparkly drawstring pouch so you can fold them up and fit them in your bag. The Gap describes them as fitting “like a glove” and “ridiculously comfortable,” which are two statements that I don’t take lightly when it comes to footwear (especially since the shoes I own that I really do consider to be ridiculously comfortable are the same shoes my grandma wears). As I read the online reviews for these shoes, the same sentiment that these are the last and only pair of flats you’ll ever want to buy seemed to be echoed loud and clear. Could it be true? Could these cute shoes really be that comfortable? There was only one way to find out.
I have been in search of some really comfy everyday flats for a while now, and when I saw these came in red, I was sold. I decided to test out my new shoes in the strenuous conditions of the office (just the other day I must have made at least 50 walking trips to unjam a printer — just grueling amounts of walking I tell ya!) I planned to test them out during the entire week, but then I forgot to wear them every day (oops) so it turned out to be a 2-day test. Still, a lot of lessons were learned, and here were the results.
On Monday, I paired the flats with this dress that has just been begging for red flat companions ever since I first got it some years ago. Cute as the combo was, by the end of the day, I had to wear Band-Aids on my heels since the elastic backs were really cutting into my skin. I had also hoped that since the leather was so soft and buttery that they would give my wide feet room to splay out, but the shoes stayed pretty tight and narrow across the width of my foot which ended up hurting after a while.
On Thursday, I wore them with a yellow cardigan and my favorite bow shirt. By this second wear, I went the entire day without Band-Aids but found that the right shoe still dug annoyingly into my heel. And I’m sad to say that the narrow width of the show was still cramping my (very wide) style.
Overall Scores (on a 5-star scale)
Style: 5
Functionality: 4
Comfort: 2 (but this is probably just because I have insanely wide feet)
Support: 1 (to be fair, they are ballet flats that fold in half so I wasn’t really expecting much support to begin with)
Price: 3 (for genuine leather shoes, I think they are fairly priced)
I feel your pain, literally. I also have wide feet, and typically run in fear from any sort of ballet flat that has elastic around the edges- towards the end of the day, I just want to rip them off my feet and scream!
Your outfits are verrry cute, though. A for effort?
I also have ridiculously wide feet and can never seem to keep those stretchy elastic flats on for very long. Ironically, I found a pair of black boots from Steve Madden with a one-inch heel that I can walk 5 miles/d in without crying.
I also feel your pain…but not only are my feet wide, they're a big ol' 8 1/2. And…I need height so I don't feel like the little girl in the man's world in which I operate. I am currently in love with Franco Sarto shoes, and amazingly enough they are stable, comfortable and I can wear them for days on end with a 3" heel. Ever tried them? They're wider than most.
I LOVE that blue dress!! I too have been searching for some flats that serve and orthopedic function. I spent some big bucks on some black flats by Born (remember those straw-colored wedges I got with you at the mall? Same brand! And I wear them to weddings all the time, the only lady who can dance all night and actually keep my shoes on!) Thought it would be the same for the flats. Not so much! They have those elastic backs too and they hurt 🙁 I think I'm going to have to find flats without those backs but I also need the arch support…
I would totally get the red ones, how cute 🙂
Andrea, I'll definitely check out Franco Sarto the next time I'm in the shoe department!
D, those wedges are adorable 🙂
Ah ! funny, I was thinking about getting those but I also have super wide feet so I was afraid they wouldn't fit… Good thing you test drove them, I know what ot expect thanks ! xx
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