Photo: StyleBlazer courtesy of Christina Draper 

It’s a bright, sunny morning in New York City. I slip into my white honeycomb Adidas Stan Smith’s, one of my tried and true wardrobe staples, as I jet out of my Brooklyn apartment for work. I catch my trains and swing by the all too convenient Starbucks, before settling in at my desk for the day.

What I don’t do is change shoes.

There’s no army of heels beneath my desk, waiting to be deployed just because I’m in the office. Sneakers and flats aren’t just commute shoes, they’re an integral part of my overall sense of style. Now I’m not saying heels are bad, or that I absolutely never wear them, but I don’t really wear heels and my style and shoe game is still on point.

I’ll admit my life in flats initially developed out of necessity. There was a time in high school and college when I literally wore heels almost daily. Moving to New York meant giving up my car for public transportation so heels on a regular basis became something of challenge. Compounded by working in fashion closets and on set for photo shoots, schlepping things became my job.

The Struggle

Quickly unpacking, packing and sorting countless shopping and garment bags, boxes, trunks and clothing racks filled with samples for whatever projects I was working on was physical labor. Even as I cycled out of such labor intensive work the next level included attending market appointments, brand events and fashion shows. My life was a constant state of motion. I knew heels as Kristen Stewart, famously known for loving sneakers, told Instyle, “[heels] slow me down.”

So like many of the stylists and editors I worked with I adopted flats. They were simple, conventional styles at first. The “cool” pair being my right out of pre-gentrified Williamsburg, black on black sole Converse low tops  and limited edition pink elephant printed slip-on Vans that I wore mostly for shoots and flights. I carried these back-up flat shoes in my purse to switch into at all times. I wouldn’t buy a bag that couldn’t conceal a pair of shoes. Soon I felt limited in my style choices and once again like I was constantly lugging crap around. Although I was in heels I felt a little dumpy and just barely put together. I was going to need better looking flat shoes, ones that could do doublet duty. I started expanding past the safe, boring styles. As my selection grew I wore heels less and less.

Photo: c/o the author 

The Transition

Eventually I wore un-heeled shoes with every kind of dress, pants, skirts etc. The only pieces I thought didn’t go with a low shoe, were wide leg trousers because without some height the hems dragged and frayed. I remember wearing a pair of lilac metallic sandals all the time one summer, until the strap broke and scoring a strange pair of royal blue all rubber wallabees (not Clark’s from what I could tell) at a Japanese thrift store that to this day I get complimented on anytime I wear them. My flats became worthy of all day wear, not something to hide away. This was the first step up my shoe game. I could embrace my quirkiness and feel more true to my style identity, comfort was an afterthought. After all not all flats are comfortable. The Stan Smith’s I now love were so stiff they hurt like hell for a good month or two before I broke them in.

Podiatrist Dr. Philip Papa at Windsor Podiatry in New York warned that for someone like me with a high arch shoes with some height for support. Even when healing from an injury a shoe really level to ground can cause more pain and discomfort, Dr. Papa also warned.

As my grounded style developed into something covetable, a source of pride, there still were situations where I remained self conscious. Fashion industry related cocktail, dinner or evening events and job interviews in an actual office not at a coffee shop or restaurant to be exact. It’s not that I thought I looked less professional but I might be perceived that way. And at events I am not always representing myself, I’m representing the brand I work for. I didn’t want a bad style choice to make my peers question my taste level. And anytime models show up at a party, this is not the time to feel 5’4”. I feared weaving through a sea of cocktails at elbow/ spill level and talking into torsos. It seemed more challenging to command attention.

The Inspiration

I wasn’t truly confident at the ground level until I made a real investment in a pair of Phillip Lim metal capped toe ankle boots. The designer label helped boost my confidence but they also were a more deliberately selected with commanding a style presence in mind. These weren’t cool shoes I’d run into and worked into my wardrobe. These were shoes that could handle all those events I’d had doubts about, alleviating the need to second guess. You couldn’t tell me I wasn’t chic! Pretty soon I noticed others in the industry weren’t really wearing heels all that often either.

Photo: The Styleograph/WENN 

Photo: andersphoto / Shutterstock.com 

Former coworker, now Fashion Director at Allure, Rachael Wang (above in pink) once told me she didn’t really wear heels and I’d always loved her style. Then there were the legends like Camilla Nickerson, Tonne Goodman and Grace Coddington who always seemed to be seen in oxfords, driving slippers or Céline slip-ons. Granted I don’t have that kind of clout but the message was clear – style and taste isn’t synonymous with heels.

Flats were nothing to feel bad about nor was it something to be sent home for like London receptionist, Nicole Thorp.

Soon flats and sneakers started showing up on more and more runways. Flats became equally if not more stylish than heels from each season to the next. The must have “it shoes” were flat styles like Chloe’s lace-ups or Gucci’s fur lined driving shoe mules. The most recent collections gave way to stunners from Prada’s python pointed flats, Proenza Schouler’s d-ring and silver embellished flats Proenza or even Louis Vuitton’s resort collection which featured a non stop of flat boots, sandals and shoes. Seeing runway flats has essentially stopped being news.

Photo: @louisvuitton 

Compound that with the rise of street style, flats like Céline’s birkenstocks and sneakers became a favorite among fashion designers and fashion influencers. Street style snaps of Tamu McPherson, Julia Sarr-Jamois, Susie Lau and Cara Delevingne that bloggers, editors, stylists and models alike weren’t limiting their most stylish wardrobe choices to heels.

Leandra Medine, Tamu McPherson, Olivia Palermo, Susie Bubble Photos: WENN 

There is no place flats can’t go. Last year’s debaucle of Cannes Film Flestival denying entry to women dubbed #flatgate, motivated celebs to wear flats to the formal event. These Hollywood women proved that even the most lavish gowns pair well with flats and women won’t stand for any dress code that dictates otherwise.

Photo: ATP/WENN 

The Assurance

Validation professionally and from the highest arenas of style didn’t dictate my style choices and neither did comfort. It did however bolster my confidence as the world started reimagination flats as solid style choice. Even better, the bigger the interest in flats, the greater variety in options. My shoe game went into overdrive. I bought more and more stylish options. I became downright daring with some of my shoe choices and outfit pairing.

With a clear style point of view, selections were easy and rounded out my look.

Whether it be my pink rubber Dr. Martens worn with an oversized T, biker jacket and distressed skinny jeans for a first date, metallic Avarcas sandals with a maxi dress at my friend’s evening desert wedding or Kurt Keiger punky flatforms to off set a high low sheath dress for an underground party deep in Bushwick, my shoes were sick and so necessary to my style. Heels could work but for my tastwa flats make the most sense. As for feeling short, I just stopped noticing. Feeling good abut my overall look makes think less about how I’m perceived. I have no doubts in my choices so I have no doubts in how I carry myself.

Photo: c/o the author 

The Conclusion

There will always be a place for heels even for me and definitelty for the notoriously stilted women like Rachel Zoe who “hasn’t worn a pair of flats since she was 12,” as she told FN Spy.

Flats are no passing trend.

They have become hero pieces in their own right that can stand up against heels on all levels. Furthermore the idea that a shoe without a heel can’t be sexy, professional, feminine, formal or polished is simply outdated. There’s no denying flats look good, damn good. And me and a ton of other stylish ladies have the super chic oxfords, pointed mary-janes, lace-up sandals and luxe satin slippers to prove it!

The post I Don’t Wear Heels But My Shoe Game Is Still On Point appeared first on StyleBlazer.

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