Shoes for College Girls – Flats
Photo by stephmcg
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been breaking down the latest fall fashion trends and going over some of the best footwear options for fall.
The last time I talked about shoes for college, I showed you some cute boots that will be great for fall.
In case you missed that article, here it is: Shoes For College Girls – Casual Boots.
If boots aren’t your thing, or you just want to add some more variety to your casual shoe collection, a pair of cute ballet flats might be just what you need for fall!
Why You Should Own Flats
If you don’t own a pair of flats yet, you don’t know what you’re missing!
Flats are perfect for college girls because they are comfortable, affordable, and versatile.
They’re completely ideal for walking to class in a hurry, or wearing to a party instead of heels. They’re also cheap enough that you can usually afford to own a bunch of different pairs, if you have a case of fashion indecision.
My favorite thing about flats is that they’re so stylish. Unlike a pair of athletic sneakers or UGG boots, ballet flats are great looking, and add an instant chicness to any outfit. Because of this, they’re appropriate for both dressy and casual situations, which is so nice to have in a shoe.
Cute Flats For Fall 2008
Here are some of my picks for cute and trendy flats that are perfect for fall.
Some of the hot trends in footwear this year include metallics, sparkly accents, and jewel tones, so I tried to incorporate those, while staying within a college student’s budget.
Metallic Ballet Flats
Clockwise from top: White Mt. “Grace” Flats ($45), Sam & Libby “Zalis” Flats
($45), Xhilaration Sable Flats ($10.49)
Jewel Tone Ballet Flats
Clockwise from top: Rocket Dog “Kandy-Kane” Flats ($45), Mossimo “Deann” Ombre Flats ($13.99), Converse One Star Dance Flats ($29.99)
Patterned Ballet Flats
From Left: Jessica Simpson “Leve” Flats ($63), Gabriella Rocha “Lela” Flats
($47), Merona “Meadow” Ballet Flats ($24.99)
Sparkly Ballet Flats
From Left: Gabriella Rocha “Lynne” Flats ($55), Annie “Keepsake” Flats
($51)
Basic Flats
From Left: Xhilaration Sable Ballerina Flats ($12.99), American Eagle “Mille” Flats ($19.99)
Your Thoughts?
If you don’t own a pair of flats already, I hope you’ll think about picking some up for fall – they’re one of the cutest types of footwear out there right now!
What do you think? Do you practically live in your ballet flats? Which are your favorite kind for fall – sparkly, metallic, or patterned? Let me know your opinions in the comments.
Posted on on August 12, 2008 / Filed Under: Shopping / Tags: Accessories, Back to School Shopping, Fall 2008, Flats, Shoes, Shopping
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M
I love flats! I only have one pair though, they’re from AE and are too low to wear nylons with so I can’t wear them much. Also, my mom would yell at me if I got another pair because I have flat feet, haha. Not cool.
M
Also my feet are really narrow so flats at places like Aldo are too wide. Are you seeing a trend in my comments? Lol, I am known as the unlucky one.
Zephyr
M – Nylons with flats? I haven’t seen those two together before.. What kind of flats are you talking about?
Kim
Any suggestions for good insoles to insert into ballet flats/skimmers? I love them but they don’t usually have very good support. (I wear them anyway, though…)
Kay
Kim you can easily find inserts at any wal mart or target. they are usually pretty cheap and make a huge difference! I LOVE my flats [ i have almost 15 or so of them] =] but I do recommend putting some support into them =]
Michelle
I loveeeeeee flats! I’m glad these are going to be big this fall! The only bad thing about this is that my feet suck and it’s hard to find cute ones that fit =\.
Lyd
how about pointy ballet flats :) and ballet flats are the norm at my uni
Emily
I’m addicted to my flats. I have about 5 pairs and I wear them all the time when I’m at school. They’re ideal because I can go straight from class to lunch to chem lab all afternoon looking cute but also totally staying within the dresscode for lab (closed-toe shoes only, and to think I spent the first couple of years of college being forced to wear sneakers every day I had a lab). My favorite pairs are my silver pair and my matted gold pair. I’ve worn them so much though that they’re kind of dying. I have a new light gray and white striped, pointy-toed pair from Charlotte Russe that I can’t wait to wear when I finally have the right occasion.
M
Zephyr: Er, I meant those no-show socks. :P
lauren
Since i’m not living on campus this year I’m planning on wearing flats to walk to campus & bringing a change of heels to wear. Is that obsessive compulsive haha? i just love to wear my heels, but don’t like the whole walking long distances in them thing..!
xoxo
Stephanie
Though I prefer heels..every girl needs a pair of flats !
..I actually got 2 pairs of REALLY cute American Eagle flats at Payless…one for $5 and another for $7. :).
Oh & M –I have flat feet too, try to look for ballet flats with a slight maybe 1/2 inch tops heel :).
Mo
So I’m just starting to get into fashion this summer and where I previously lived in my sneakers (having to dress up was a chore), I’m looking forward to buying a few flats. I really love the Jessica Simpson ones you featured and I think I might go with those plus some “classic” ballet flats. I still tend to be on the conservative side – how do people wear metallic and bright colors on their feet? How does that go with the rest of their outfit? I’m still working on that part! ;)
One random question: so what do we wear with the flats? Socks? Nylons? Or do we go bare?
Thanks for this post! It was right on target and exactly what I needed.
Zephyr
Lyd – I’m not so much a fan of the pointy ones, but that’s not to say that they aren’t just as stylish for fall! They’re cute also with the right outfit :)
Emily – That’s great that you don’t have to wear sneakers every day for lab! I’m a business major so I don’t feel your pain, but I can imagine that it would be awful in terms of what you could wear.
M – Ohhhh, I get you now.
Lauren – Hee, I love my heels too. I lived on campus last semester and my classes were a 5 min walk, so I would always wear my heeled boots & such to class. If I had a longer walk, though, I would probably do something similar to what you’re doing! Cute shoes deserve to be worn!
Stephanie – I love the American Eagle shoe line at Payless. They are all so cute and you can’t beat the prices either!
Mo – The key to wearing metallics & brights on your feet is to keep the rest of your outfit neutral – maybe some denim and simple colors like white, black, and brown. This allows the colors to pop and become the focus. They don’t have to match the rest of your outfit, which is the best part. As far as what to wear with flats, I go barefoot, but some people wear those nylon pantyhose-looking socks as well. Regular socks are a no-go, however!
Jessica
I love how affordable all of these options are; on other websites I go to they show really expensive shoes that just get ruined anyway. I love the American Eagle Mille shoes! For the past couple of years Payless has had this same style in different colors, and I have them in red. They are my most comfortable flats although they aren’t supportive.
IUgirl
Flats can make a casual outfit look really pulled together. And now that I am older and wiser I also wear these instead of heels to parties
Nee
i have those leopard ones — from walmart :lol:
They have this cushion at the bottom that is just GREAT!
But, I’m sure I can’t wear flats all the time like I want — it was mess up my arch right? :(
Bren
i have a problem with flats. they always give me terrible blisters on my heals. I know that you have to develop callus’ but it hurts too much to get to that point. any suggestions? i wish i could wear flats
Kat
Flats are the best things to ever hit the market. When they first became mainstream popular in 2003/2004 I was skeptical about them because they all looked the same and it seemed so trendy, but 4-5 years later they have completely evolved. There are flats for every occasion. I love them!
Megan
Gojane has tons of flats in a wide array of colours too :)
Ad
I had a pair of “Millie” ballet flats that I bought around May of last year from payless and it was under the “Lower East Side” brand, now American Eagle for payless have the exact same design with their label on it! Nevertheless they were comfy and I’ve been looking for a similar pair after it worn out.
Thanks for the post, I love wearing flats! The black and white Gabriella Rocha ones look cute :)
Beth
I have a pair of plain black flats from Kohl’s that I wear allll the time. What I love about them is that they have a wedge on the heel-not a huge one, but enough to make me taller and make them just a tad bit more dressy than normal flats! The only problem? My feet are always about to fall off every time I wear them, they are so freaking uncomfortable haha. I’ve gone through more pairs of black ballet flats-they keep just falling apart!
S
A good pair of basic black flats and a fancier pair are key to a good, versatile wardrobe I think.
I love the metallic ones particularly, I own a few pairs. In fact, funnily enough I’m wearing a pair of gold ones in today’s blog post at modern-guilt.com :)
Twila
I adore the Xhilaration flats. I have a couple pairs and I literally wear them to pieces. They look adorable with just about anything, the comfort is unbeatable, and at such a good price (under $20, and when they go on clearance they can be as cheap as $3!) I can’t imagine not having them. If you’re not sure if you’ll like flats, I suggest going with one of these. The only downside is that it’s like wearing no shoes (which I love here in barefoot Florida), so if you need support you may have to get creative.
Kelly
Flats are my best friend! I can’t imagine wearing anything else on a fairly basis that are as comfy as my favorite pair of gap flats!
Cadi
I love me some Payless flats, but I have to be careful that they don’t gouge the back of my heel. That’s a definite buzzkill.
I also always stick insoles in…I’m a member of the flat footed club!
Lyd
ive got a pair of flats that have super soft cushioning inside it (the pointed ones :D ) but i am looking for a nice pair of rounded flats as well…. but black or silver are quite nice colors
Iris
I love flats, but I can never wear them! Because of how I lived in corrective foot insoles for three years, my feet are only comfortable in shoes with a minimum 1-2 inch, so flats give absolutely no arch support T_T Any suggestions, Miss CF?
I’m not fond on metallic shoes on certain orange skintones (too harsh contrast), but they look fantastic during nighttime-winter, and I like basic colored flats with special designs for a little twist. I have a heeled pair that is basic navy with a cute bow, but on the sides it’s a riveting design of neon red-green-yellow stripes crossing over a white background – so awesome!
Jane
I adore flats. I don’t know why I don’t own more pairs of them. Last year I had a black leather pair I wore pretty frequently. I hope to buy a lot more pairs in the fall. Going to school in New England (you can relate) I’ve only a few months that I can wear them before I have to stick to Birks or boots. My favorite are the suede looking brown ones (I’ve also seen cute teal and purple ones) and cute patterns.
Any
I love the way flats look and agree that they give instant chic.
My problem though is that most of the flats I try on rub my ankles til they BLEED. :( Shoes need to be broken in, but that is a bit ridiculous. Maybe my ankles are more sensitive than others, I can never wear a pair of flats long enough to break them. Any ideas / solutions?
Jennifer
Sigh. Flats are such a mixed blessing, IMO: they are generally comfy, but not as comfortably as good walking shoes, which I desperately need as I walk EVERYWHERE around my college campus that takes 20+ minutes to get across from one side to the other! They are cute, but less flattering on me than other shoes – I’m 5″1′, and flats often leave me looking short and stumpy. On the bright side, I think flats are GREAT for transitioning from class to a part-time office job or something. Presentable, cute, and generally good for standing in all day.
Katie
I love the look of flats and I hate that I can’t wear them! I’ve tried on tons and no matter how well they seem to fit, my heels always seem to be too narrow and slip out…
M
Katie: Have you tried ones with elastic backs?
Ingrid
I can’t stand flats. :( I worked at payless for 4 years, so I have tried on probably hundreds if not thousands of pairs, and they just feel like floppy pieces of ill-fitted paper on the bottoms of my feet. Maybe because I am an athlete and I have foot problems anyway, I like to have good structure. Fashion athletics, boots, and my cushioney Oakley flip flops are basically all I will ever wear.
Cindy
i loveee flats too, but some of mine rub against the my heels and its always sooo painful..=( i’ve tried wearing pantyhose but they always tear at the heels due to the rub.
zephyr, do you have any advice for me?=)
bem
in addition to that
how about thosetype of ballet flats that looks like sneakers.
like those of skechers. they’re nice also..