Casual footwear — it is a difficult world to tread if you are a girly-girl with a penchant for bows, ribbons and lace. According to me, (the self-appointed expert on what’s girly and what’s not! :P) there are only a few brands that get the casual look ‘right’ while still maintaining a breezy and cute girly-ness about them. Then, there are a few that I must adamantly insist aren’t feminine in style at all. Let’s see what makes my list, and what doesn’t –feel free to agree/disagree/chime in with more brands and/or your own opinions!
First off, the No-no list:
#1: Vans
#2: Converse
You are welcome to try and change my mind about the two, and perhaps in the future a style will come across that I will fall in like with… but for now, they are my fashion no-no’s!
Now, the Yes, please! list:
#1: Bensimon (pronounced Ben-see-mohn) the quintessential casual shoe in the French girl’s closet. And mine. What I especially like is that even their more ‘closed’ styles still give your ankle room to move forward without feeling like it is being cut off, from both a physical and aesthetic point of view.
I would wear most of their styles, especially the ballerina flats (you saw that one coming) and the absolutely gorgeous Tennis Lacet Wooly G Chine F10. Which, may I brag, I rattled off with complete confidence to my man, stating why I wanted it and why it was worth $85.00. He has since knocked (figuratively) some sense into me…but the want persists, and it shall find its way to mummy! Mwahahahaha… ::cough::
#2: Keds I wore these when I was a little girl. It was thrilling throwing the shoes in the wash and having them come out looking brand new, until the day those white sneakers finally decided they had had enough of my tootsies and colouring them in with markers. (My colouring implements were water-based, in my defense!) You can’t say that for leather shoes, sadly… they’re tough but so delicate at the same time. Anyway, back on point, Keds make cute shoes too, grown-up casual with feminine offerings and prints that make me reach out with the grabby hands, like the Dorm Cozy Fair Isle in black knit… Après-ski, anyone?
#3: TOMS. This brand is simply amazing… besides being the current label for casual-cool sneakers, they even offer espadrille-like wedges that would be perfect for those summertime pool parties. Best of all, for every shoe you buy, a pair is given to a child who needs them. But the bestest, latest news of all is this: TOMS is coming out with a line of ballerina flats this spring! I am not at all ashamed to admit that I flipped, landed, then fell head over heels in love and excitement when I found this out.
Oh, 2012, you’re being a good year to me already. ♥
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Do you have any favourites in the casual footwear department? Share!
Yay, I’m so happy to see another girly girl who can’t stand Converses or Vans! I had to go into a Vans shop a couple of times with a not-so-girly girl and I felt SO out of place. Anyway, I LOVE everything on your “yes” list and I’ve been wanting Keds and Toms for the longest time! <3
I used to wear white keds allll the time! Loooved them! (I was just thinking about how comfy they were… There was a time they made them with extra comfy soles – I really miss those!!!).
As for Converse and Vans, I have to admit I *do* own a pair of converse looking shoes (airwalk brand though – cheap ;-)). And also my favorite causal shoe is this by airwalk – http://www.payless.com/store/product/detail.jsp?catId=cat10376&subCatId=&skuId=068796065&productId=64917&lotId=068796&category=&catdisplayName=Brands – (I prefer these to the converse style), I love the contrast of the black and the white, they are super comfy, go with my jeans, and are good school shoes. They remind me of shoes my Grandma might have worn when she was young back in the 50’s, which kinda go along with my style. They are also super cheap which is good for me because my shoes fall apart like no-body’s business! 😛
No very girly I admit (I do own a cute pair of flats now for that purpose ;-)), but practical, and give a bit of an old fashion tom-boy look to my casual school style! 😉
Anyways – looove you! 😀
P.S. I can’t stand the tall converse’s though! *Shudder* 😛
http://www.payless.com/store/product/detail.jsp?catId=cat10378&subCatId=cat10288&skuId=048010120&productId=64059&lotId=048010&category=&catdisplayName=Sale (My “converse” – ugly but cute under jeans ;-)).
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Thank you for asking, but no, I do not, as I dislike Facebook’s many breaches of privacy. You can always find me on Twitter though: @cathiemaud