Women's Flats

With no heel height in play, a flat is judged on how it holds the foot. Loafers and slipper styles pull on and rely on a vamp or strap across the instep to hold, some finished with a penny bar or metal trim, others left plain. Ballerina flats take the softest approach, a low-cut topline and thin sole that follow the foot, with pointed, almond and round toes changing the line.

Espadrilles bring construction into it — a braided jute midsole under a canvas or leather upper — and lace ups and oxfords close the foot in properly, with eyelets adjusting the fit across the instep the way no slip-on can. Uppers run from smooth and grained leather to suede, patent and woven raffia, and a leather sole moulds to the foot over time where rubber grips from the first wear.