<p>I admit it…I’m deliberately trying to find things to distract myself…</p>
<p>Does anyone remember the brand name of the round toe ballet flats that were popular in the '70s? And does anyone have a good recommendation for a cute, but comfortable, flat shoe for a female college student? ldgirl lived in maryjane Skechers last year, but is ready for a change. She has a ton of Rainbow and Reef flipflops which will be great on days she is not scootering. But she needs close-toed shoes as well and I thought ballet flats would be a cute option, especially with all her knee length shorts and capris. That is, IF I can find some that are comfy with decent support.</p>
<p>All advice, suggestions, helpful hints welcome and appreciated…</p>
<p>Check out zappos.com - you can search for flats there. I have bought flats there with confidence.
There are also some cute tennis shoe mary janes this year, too.</p>
<p>Yeah, I think back then it was Pappagallo. </p>
<p>Today, ballet flat style shoes are really “in” and soooo many makes have these styles. My kids have some. Some makes they have are Steve Madden, Aldo, and Urban Outfitters. You can go to Zappos.com or Shoes.com and search for flats/skimmers/ballerina and come up with all sorts from many makes and price ranges. </p>
<p>Expensive makes that have like comfort type soles include Born, Dansko, Keen, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone!! I’ve been searching zappos for hours now…lol! How to choose, how to choose.</p>
<p>I remember Pappagallo, and wearing Capezio ‘true’ ballet slippers with jeans…but I think the brand I was thinking of that was a hit in the late 70s was ‘Sam and Libby’ that 2cakes mentions. Remember all those metallic colors… ;)? Believe it or not, they still make Sam and Libby ballet flats and they are available at Zappos…though after looking at them, I don’t think my d would have anything to do with them…lol! But, there are tons of cute ballet flats at zappos! Steve Madden, Me Too, French Sole, etc…are adorable. Also, rec’d a great lead via pm on a Nike Cole Haan ballet that may be just worth the money. The fact that she rides a Vespa and is hard on shoes means I have to take the quality up a notch.</p>
<p>The flats that make me cringe are those retro ones with the '80s look…gag. lol!!</p>
<p>Have your daughter pick out the shoes. My daughter would NOT wear anything that resembles those ballet slipper types of flats…not even the $200 ones that are on sale this week at Nortstrom (not that I would buy them, but you get my point). DD NEEDS black shoes frequently that can be worn with both slacks and dresses. She has a variety of these that are comfortable to HER but would be totally unacceptable to me. What kind of shoe does she wear now?? Perhaps that is what she should get to replace what she has. Also, I have to add (having worn my fair share of Sam and Libby, and other ballet type shoes…), they do NOT have good arch support at all, and they also have pretty thin and slippery soles.</p>
<p>agree thumper…there are just TOO many choices and she needs to pick them. Unfortunately, she calls me her ‘personal shopper’ because I totally ‘get’ her style. She very rarely rejects anything I bring home for her and, as a result, she has become lazy about shopping for herself. I don’t blame her, I hate the mall.</p>
<p>Regarding comfort and soles…one thing I have noticed about the new trend in ballet flats is they have greatly improved the inserts and many have soles that look like driving shoes with good traction. The Nike Cole Haan has those features built in. I’ll make sure she focuses on those type flats. Nothing worse that slipping and falling on your face in a stairwell as you are rushing to class (done that…lol!)</p>
<p>ldmom…confession…your post made me go visit Zappos today (which is a site we do use)…and look around with one of my D’s in mind and it is time consuming to say the least. I saved some to favorites to show her. I don’t pick out my kids’ clothes. But they don’t have a lot of time and also if they are home (which is rare), we don’t have the greatest shoe selection. So, sometimes, when they say what they are looking for (a type, a color), I’ll go through pages and pages on sites like Zappos and save any samples of ones that seem to be what they are looking for that I think are cute, knowing each of their tastes and then I will send them the links (if they are away) or show them at home and they put them side by side on the screen and have ordered that way.Unfortunately, from time to time, they don’t fit and it can get expensive to return and resend the right size. For my D who is in Europe right now, she had looked for shoes here before she left and couldn’t find any and so we ordered them from Steve Madden and it took three shipments to get the one that fit. Usually that doesn’t happen but it did once with my other D from Zappos. So, my kids pick 'em too but I sometimes do groundwork and do the searches to narrow down thousands of shoes to ten or so, and share them to save them time which they don’t have with their hectic schedules. </p>
<p>I do recall Sam and Libby, yep. </p>
<p>But now you got me to want to look up Me Too and French Sole!</p>
<p>EDIT…I looked…French Sole is not in our budget.</p>
<p>look at the superfeet insoles - they are designed to work with either shoes with removable insoles or without. ( they also make them for dress shoes)
They can give arch support to otherwise non supportive shoes like Converse chucks or ballet skimmers ( my daughter has several pair of skimmers she gets them at alloy or urban outfitters)</p>
<p>It helps to find a manufacturer or three that “get” your foot shape.
just like with clothes- it saves time</p>
<p>The nice thing about Zappos is that you can buy many pairs and just send back the ones you don’t like. Be sure to use their shipping label - it’s free.</p>
<p>Agreed that zappos has the free return shipping. Still, it was a bit of a pain with one D when it took three tries to get it right. But it was the D who ordered through Steve Madden in June (as zappos site was out of her color or size), who took three tries with three shipping and return fees which was a big OUCH. That is why I like Zappos better! I have also used Shoes.com.</p>
<p>My D lives in ballet flats. I always tell her she should wear heels a little more (especially because she is short).</p>
<p>Last month D ordered about 6 pairs of ballet flats from steve madden (they were having a sale so she paid about $20 to $29) it was less than $130 when she finished and she managed to get free shipping. </p>
<p>I just looked at their site and there are ballet flats on sale (Click clearance).</p>
<p>Last week, she was getting out of the car and scratched her beloved Tori Burch ballet flats (I thought she was going to faint as it took her some time to get her self together. personally I am not that crazy about them and I don’t know what all the hoopola is about).</p>
<p>sooz - I’m doing exactly as you describe…bookmarking some favorites for ldgirl to consider. Must be nice…my mom never did such for me…lol! And the only French Sole remotely near our budget were the ‘Sloops’ which unfortunately only come in suede. Suede for college wear? Ha.</p>
<p>They are a little pricey…but I’ll likely only buy one pair for scooter days. </p>
<p>Btw…I’m a big believer in insoles! I checked emeraldkity’s superfeet recommendation and they look wonderful. Available at REI and Sun and Ski. I struggle with bouts of plantar fasciitis which began back in my high-impact aerobics days (why did we ever think THIS was a good idea for exercise???)…so I’m going for those superfeet insoles.</p>
<p>Cute shoes, Idmom. But I don’t think I’ve ever paid that much for a pair of shoes in my life! (I know from reading on here that this is the norm for some. I’m pretty good at finding sales, though!)</p>
<p>My D and I wear the same size shoes. She hates to shop, so I pick out shoes I think we both might like; if she does, I’ve saved her a trip. If she doesn’t, I have a new pair! I seldom get to keep them, though. We have similar tastes, which are governed by what is comfortable, rather than what is in. (Neither of us have any idea what is in! And neither of us like heels or super pointy toes.) She likes shoes a lot more than I do, and loves color! D just asked me yesterday who I’m going to steal shoes from after next week when she leaves! The reality is that she is a lot more likely to steal mine!</p>
<p>I’m happy with my Sketchers or my sandals most of the time, but like bare feet best of all. (My orthopedist doesn’t approve. I have orthotics to wear, but hate them and seldom use them.)</p>
<p>ldmom…those are cute and very basic and seem best with a skirt or such. They are not that trendy but are a basic ballet shoe. I think you could find similar, also in leather, for a little less. I don’t know your D and how stylish she wants to be. That shoe could be used in many way. It is a slightly dressier flat but not by a lot. It is quite versatile.</p>