Flat no more

Since the middle of college, weather for me has come in two varieties: ballet flat and non-ballet flat. In Chicago for the school year, there were few ballet-flat months, so I used the shoes as slippers, for everything from daily avoidance of filthy dorm carpet to moving book-filled boxes. Ballet flats do not have laces, straps, or heels. They can cost as little as $13. And yet, they are pure elegance.

And yet... thin-soled flats are often called "driving shoes" for a reason. City sidewalks destroy them. The cost-per-wear of the flats might be decent, but it's a pain having to track down new ones all the time, and can lead to making unintended purchases at places like H&M. Buying many pairs at once is not an option, because it's impossible to know which will end up fitting well, and by the time you do, the store will no longer carry them. And finally, for those as not-tall as I am, it's annoying to be on a rush hour subway and be at waist-level of the other passengers. It may not actually be harder to breath, but it feels like it.

So, after two paragraphs of justification (oh, and they were on sale!), this is why yesterday I got a pair of platform shoes. After staring enviously at Tel Avivian women's footwear, I finally caved. Their fabulousity is unrivaled; their comfort shall not be assessed until it ceases to be 1,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit.