Flats for the Springtime in Paris
Manolo says, one of the Manolo’s internet friends has asked the Manolo the question.
I am very excited, as I am about to make my first trip to Paris this spring !
I was wondering if you would recommend some flat shoes which would be comfortable for walking about for hours and hours and hours each day on the cobblestones, and yet still be smart enough not to disgrace me in the shoe salons of the fashion capital (where I plant to spend many an hour and a hard-earned dollar), and especially not in front of the undoubtedly chic Parisienne shop girls.
Merci beaucoup !
Rosie
Ayyyyyyy! The Rosie she is so lucky, to be spending the time of the spring in the Paris.
She is also indeed most lucky because the shoes of the Hollywould they are on the sale at this very moment. And so the Manolo he has picked out two pairs of the shoes that are not only excessively stylish and attrative, but are also on the sale.
This shoe above, the Bateau, it is over 60% off of the regular price, the discount of over $260 of the American dollars!
Here is the Roberta from the Hollywould, another smart flat on the sale. This one it is nearly 50% off of the regular price!
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Comments
Oh Navel 19 years ago
Of course, the super fantastic women of Paris can also be seen in their trainers. When I was there last Puma’s were still all the rage- from teenagers to older women- and I’m not talking tourists. Cobbles can be tricky if you plan on hoofing it. Don’t forget to visit the Bon Marche. French department stores have ours beat by a mile….
Susan 19 years ago
Temporarily living outside of Paris, I can vouch that girls in their teens and early 20’s will often wear sneakers, but for those of us in our 30’s and beyond, it’s definitely a faux pas to be avoided. Boots- especially suede- are all the rage right now, but that’s because it’s freezing. Check the weather forecast before heading over- if this unusual cold snap continues into spring, you’ll definitely want something warm for the feets!
But I agree 100% with the cobblestone comment. Oh, and don’t forget to watch out for the ubquitous souvenirs of FiFi and LuLu. Perhaps sticking with brown and black would be wise.
fonteyne 19 years ago
These cardboard flats are of no use for real walking om the streets!
Rosie 19 years ago
Many thanks to the Manolo for his suggestions (and at the sale prices too !) and also to the Susan and Oh Navel for their practical comments. I did pull the wry face and laugh at the Fifi/Lulu reminder, and could not help but remember the poor Carrie in SATC who experienced a similiarly distateful event in Paris, whilst wearing some very lovely shoes indeed, the Christian Laboutins maybe ? Eeek !
Lorraine 19 years ago
Those might be the cutest flats I have ever seen and it is so timely as The Dog just chewed my black flats!
Steph 19 years ago
Very cute flats but they are not comfy enough for walking around Paris.
If it is early spring when it is still coldish, good walking boots are an option.
Personally, I wouldn’t try to break in new shoes in Paris. (I am still traumatized walking around NYC in wedges–thought we were cabbing it and ended up walking all over the place. Guys do not understand).
As an aside, ballet flats make me angry. I’ve tried on a million pairs and they are all uncomfortable. What is the point of flat uncomfortable shoes???? If I am going to have shoes that aren’t particularly comfy on, they best be heels.
Anyhow, have fun in Paris and be sure to eat lots of chocolate croissants and goat cheese salads–the ones in America are not the same.
furlagirl 19 years ago
1. Rosie will be surprised to discover that Parisian women are not as superfantastic as they are cracked up to be, particularly by Americans. In fact they are very conservatively dressed, a French conservatism., it’s true, but here in London we do not find them fashionable
2. It is absolutely correct, Parisian women do not wear sports shoes above their teenage years except when playing sports and they don’t play sports.
3. Absolutely flat shoes are not all that comfortable.
furlagirl 19 years ago
Also, if you are looking to spend large numbers of the American dollars in Paris, then this book, which is one of my most cherished possessions, and won’t let out of sight, is the one for you
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1900512432/203-3784110-0834315
Annalucia 19 years ago
The Annalucia must second the remarks of the Steph. It has been thirty years since she spent April in Paris, but the April in question was quite dank and rainy, and such shoes as are pictured here would have been useless after the second day on the boulevards. Perhaps the sleek boot would be a better choice, or the women’s Oxford with a bit of the lift to the heel. Not superfantastic perhaps, but since the Furlagirl tells us that French fashion is on the conservative side (the Annalucia takes this to mean “stodgy”) then the boot or the Oxford should blend in quite smoothly.
furlagirl 19 years ago
Not so much stodgy, annalucia, more not as achingly up to the minute and chic as you might imagine. I was in France a couple of weekends ago, and most people looked as if they had stepped out of the 1970s. The French are not experimentalists, not in food and not in clothes. So a woman of 25 who finds her style will stick to it when she is 50 or 60 with little alteration. She calls it ‘classic’ we might think it boring. French women buy a few good pieces and go on wearing them for many years even when they are out of date.
If you are looking for truly fashionable women, there’s only one place – Italy. The Italians do superlatively what the French falsely boast about doing best.
La BellaDonna 19 years ago
La BellaDonna, she recommends above all the comfortable low-heeled (as opposed to Utterly Flat) boots. They will keep out the rain, the mud, the snow, and the careless size 13 shoes of the man next to you in the elevator. The pretty flats can be worn indoors. The boots are also good to wear on the airplane, as they should allow room for the feets to swell, and they will help protect the Rosie if, heaven forfend, the airplane it makes the Sudden Unexpected Landing.
It is the experience of La BellaDonna, who must wear the low/flat shoes, that they should be bought roomy enough to put inside them the comfy pad from the Dr. Scholl (she likes the 3/4 pad with Serious Arch Support). And, because La BellaDonna has the narrow feet like chisels, she takes her flats to the cobbler and has the three pairs of grommets set in, and laces them on with pretty ribbons so that she does not walk out of them. (If La BellaDonna were still able to wear the high-heel pumps, she would grommet them as well, because she would still have the feet like the chisels.)
Rosie 19 years ago
Thanks Furlagirl for the book recommendation – and I do agree with you about the beautifully dressed women of Italy, I spent a delightful 4 months there last year, walking everywhere and just people watching. Oh to be in London and to be able to pop over to Europe for the weekend. Marvellous. La BellaDonna and her grommets, you made me laugh. Ah well, two months to plan all the little details and to wear in any new shoes/boots/flats etc. Damn this pesky day job I have …