Do flat shoes ever work with a dress and tights?

[houstonspca]

After lockdown I've decided to ditch the high heels.

I have to look quite smart for work and like to be warm without any bare skin around my ankles, so tend to wear dresses and tights in winter, usually with pointed toe, medium heeled stilettos.

Any suggestions for flat shoes that could work with dresses and tights without looking strange?

Or any other outfit ideas for winter that would mean I can keep my feet and ankles warm?

I only wear flats and live in dresses. When I had to dress corporate for work, I wore loafers or smart ballet flats which worked fine. Also sometimes flat ankle boots.

Brogues look smart with tights and dresses, depending on style of dress
Loafer style shoes (I’ve seen loads of these in primark if you were after something cheap to try out)

I think brogues might be too clumpy for the style of dress I normally wear. What sort of dresses would look ok with brogues, any ideas?

LOVE brogues with cigarette trousers but then can't wear full socks and get cold ankles.

@CaptainBrickbeard what sort of dresses would you wear with tights and flats?

I don’t even own heels, and haven’t for years.

I wear brogues, Chelsea boots, black leather trainers (Stan Smiths, Vejas, Continental 80s) and DM monkey boots. (I teach, but in a creative subject, so am probably less smart than you.)

In winter I wear a lot of culottes/cropped wide-leg trousers, as well as dresses and skirts. I wear knee-high socks underneath to avoid chilly ankles - from the M&S school bit!

I have lovely wool mix trousers from Cos which are warm and drape beautifully, and wear them with eg a fitted black cashmere polo neck. I love them so much I gave them in black, forest green, and pair grey. I also have the exact same style from Cos in corduroy in grey, petrol blue, and sage green.

There's a lovely Instagram account called julesinflats and she has very well put together, professional and casual outfits. All of course in flats 😊
I don't even own a pair of heels! They're so uncomfortable

Pointy flats are your friend. Enbrogue did excellent blog post on this in the old days, she's now all about minimal consumption: Flat shoes you can totally wear to the office.

I tend to wear ballet type flats with mostly A-line dresses. Some dresses you can get away with an ankle boot in winter as well.

I think something like this works - obviously these are £££ but they can be a template for a search for something more affordable.

Really any style dresses! I had some knee length pencil dresses that zipped up the back but also some high neck, long sleeve midi dresses of a more floaty style. I agree pointy toe flats look smarter but I couldn’t wear them either following foot surgery so I had to have round or square toe. Because I physically can’t wear a lot of shoe styles, heels included, I suppose I never had to agonise about thinking well, heels or points would look nicer - I have a very limited pool of shoe styles to choose from which in some ways makes it easier. All of my foot problems were caused by years of wearing pointy heels btw which did such terrible nerve damage I needed two operations in my early thirties and now spend my life in Birkenstocks or Hotter shoes which I know are neither stylish nor beautiful but I am a lot more comfortable!

I’d wear ballet flats/brogues/loafers with the pencil dresses and flat ankle boots with the floaty midis btw.

I tend to wear pointed flats when I don’t want heels but still want to look smart in terms of dresses I think something skater style or floaty is best with flats. If it is a fitted dress I really don’t think flats work personally.

Thank you all. Julesinflats looks like a fab account to follow and has given me some ideas.

Could you post a link to a similar dress to the style you wear? Posters can then suggest flats which would work with that style.

I wear chelsea boots in winter and smart ballet flats in summer. Normally central london office (headquarters),so smart.
Nice ballet flats are hard to find in the moment though.

My problem is skinne ankles, I don't like ballet flats so which sort of footwear would suit me to wear with a skirt.

I live in brogues. What kind of dresses do you wear?

I’d put flat knee high boots or hiking style boots under a dress or skirt in winter as I can’t get on board with flat shoes and tights either! Immediately I imagine the crease at the ankle . Appreciate this might just be me though

What crease?!

Yes I agree I always wear flat knee high boots in winter with skirts, sometimes just above the knee or long skirts, I don't do a full shoe at all, boots, ancle or knee high flat or with a small heel, all winter, then flat sandals or trainers. I have a couple of pair heel shoes I keep just in case i need to, but I haven't worn them for about 3 years.

Yes I know all about the crease!

With the legs I have (chunky and with VERY bad ankles) - I simply cannot get away with a brogue. I think they work on people with skinny legs. Ballet flats are also very ugly on my feet and also horrible to walk in. I like a lot of foot coverage in my shoes anyway - I walk quite a bit and a couple of miles in ballet flats would kill me.

So I'm flat boots with dresses in the winter. And wedge shoes with a strappy back (like a sandal but with more to it) in the summer. But it's all a big problem.

No high heels in my house - and definitely not on my feet. They are the work of the devil!

The crease that happens where your ankle meets your foot Greyish

I think low heeled boots are comfortable and look great too...Acne pistol or Isabel Marant Dicker style?

Or Russell & Bromley ‘lowland’ OTK with a midi length or shorter skirt...

Oh! I don’t get that crease. I do have thick, puffy ankles though.

www.net-a-porter.com/en-gb/shop/product/valentino/valentino-garavani-rockstud-textured-leather-point-toe-flats/1152613?gclsrc=aw.ds&cm_mmc=Google-ProductSearch-UK--m--NAP_EN_UK_PLA--NAP%C2%A0-%C2%A0UK%C2%A0-%C2%A0GS%C2%A0-+Designer+-+Class_Shoes+-+Type_Flat+Shoes%C2%A0-%C2%A0High%C2%A0-%C2%A0CSS--Flat+Shoes+-+Pointed-Toe+Flats_INTL&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6575BRCQARIsAMp-ksOwuvO7CBtZtSd-qhFacIuF5PX2HRDcNf-T0i-xvxdbzda54uVVd58aAhmGEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
I love pointed flats and have them in lots of colours