Flat Out


Little foldable Ballet Flats have made a huge comeback -- we remember our grandmother had a couple pair. They're terrific for traveling and many find them easy to carry in a purse for comfort convenience. However, we hadn't found a brand to suit us. A couple of years ago, Nine West made a big push and sold their ballet flats in a leather drawstring carrying case. Adorable, but frightfully uncomfortable (at least for us) -- they were also notoriously inconsistent and ultimately not terribly well made (and we are fans of Nine West!).

A couple of months ago, we finally discovered a pair of ballet flats that we could wear on our delicate, sensitive feet -- made by Switchflop queen, Lindsay Phillips.

Lindsay Phillips Ballet Flats
(seen above)

We discovered these amazing little gems at the Manhattan Beach Fresh Produce shop. We were skeptical because we nearly always wear some sort of sandal, finding closed shoes not too comfortable. Imagine our surprise when we tried them on and they were genuinely, sincerely comfortable. But, even at $65, they were a little pricey for us. Still, we managed to find some online at a great price. Do a little research and you may get a similar deal (Ebay is a good resource).

The "gimmick" of the Lindsay Phillips Ballet Flat is that they are part of the line's trademarked "Snap Ons." This means that the flower with rhinestone center that comes "standard" on the shoes can snap on and off and you can interchange with a variety of choices, ranging in price, generally, from $11 to $18.

We're not so keen on the change-y thing, but do adore the shoes and find them fantastic to wear, nearly all the time. The matte shoes are real leather, but the patent styles are man made. Both constructs are comfortable, but for the ultimate, we have to give the edge to the buttery soft authentic leather. The Lindsay Phillips Ballet Flats feature an air-soft foot padding and are edged in soft, comfortable, flexible material, rendering the shoes far more comfortable than any other we've sampled.

So far, we have them in Pewter Patent, Blue Patent, Black Patent (we actually got the Kids' Size 4, which is supposed to be comparable to a Women's Size 6, but is on the small side -- Lindsay Phillips Ballet Flats do run on the small side -- like the ultimate, but exorbitantly priced Lanvin Ballet Flat -- so you're likely to need at least a half-size larger than you normally wear -- we find the Size 6 perfect for our usually Size 5.5 feet), Bronze Leather and White Gold Leather. www.lindsayphillips.com