Work shoe help

amelisha

As I teeter around in my favourite 5-inch-heeled ankle boots today (thanks to my ski boots effing up my feet), it has occurred to me that I could use a pair of fashionable, office-appropriate (not a suit-jacket-required environment but a step up from just "no jeans") flat (or very low-heeled) shoes that I can actually wear socks with without those socks showing. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm a stiletto girl and most of my shoes are heeled but sometimes I'd like to have flats as an option, but something that still looks dressy and goes with suit-type trousers.

I have an extensive collection of ballet flats under my desk but in the middle of winter I'd love to have work shoes I can wear socks with, but the only ones I can think of are the clunky Oxford types that are not very feminine. Halp?

Maggie0829

I have been having the same issue.  I either have heeled boots/pumps or ballet flats.  I have been wanting to find something in the middle that I can wear socks with because it is cold as hell here.

larrygaga

OKay so these aren't the cutest shoes ever, but I have to wear shoes that I can run in at work and I wear right through all my shoes because I walk the entire day in them. I would never ever wear heels to work.

These are my current pair and omg are they comfortable. I like the price as well since I have to replace my shoes a lot. 

http://www.target.com/p/women-s-sam-libby-chelsea-bow-genuine-leather-flat-assorted-colors/-/A-15433757#prodSlot=dlp_medium_1_6&term=sam+&+libby

I have them in black and brown. Like I said, not the cutest but they have some amazing padding and they are so soft. 

I save my cute uncomfortable flats for outside of work

lovemesomemonster

I have lots of low heel ankle boots that I wear all the time in the office. Hit up DSW, you can find great ones with a clean toe so if they are under slacks you can't tell they are "boots" and a wider heel so they are comfy. I wear all of my low heel ankle boots with slacks or tights and skirts. If you like the shape of your ballet flats start there, find something with that toe that has more coverage on your foot/ankle for socks.. 

penguin44

As some PP's have said, I would suggest ankle boots.

I'm tired of boots, so I have been keeping flats at my desk to change into once I get to work.

wandajune6

I have ankle boots for exactly this reason. I have brown, gray, and two pairs of black- one pair a bit larger specifically for when I want to wear warmer socks. I also love wearing riding boots with skirts. I frequently wear fleece leggings instead of tights and wear heavy socks under them. While not exactly elegant, they're super-comfy and work in my office.

I've been wearing a pair of purple suede loafers to death lately as well. I keep them at my desk and put them on once I remove my snow boots. While a bit of a fashion faux pas, they're really comfy with black socks.

theartistformerlyknownas

I have the opposite problem - I need something with a little heel to keep from ruining my pants. In the summer I have lots of cute heeled sandals to wear with my longer pants, and can tuck my skinny jeans into flat boots, but I don't have a lot of options that look a little nicer to wear with nicer/longer pants. So I bought <these> last week (but in plain tan suede which is apparently now sold out), and now I might buy <these>.

novella1186

I also recommend ankle boots. I have a cute pair with a wedge heal (that I got on sale at Macy's) and they go really well with dress pants, they're comfy, and I can also wear them with jeans. My feet always get super cold so I always want to have something I can wear socks with. These suckers did the trick!  

thespeshulestsnowflake

I almost never wear pants to work, but most that I do wear are 'skinny' cut, so tall boots in winter are my go to choice.

theartistformerlyknownas

thespeshulestsnowflake said:

I almost never wear pants to work, but most that I do wear are 'skinny' cut, so tall boots in winter are my go to choice.

This just got interesting.

sarahufl

I actually also rarely wear pants in the winter.

I am a skirt/dress with tights and boots kind of gal.

amelisha

LOL @lolo883 on the no-pants. In my climate I need to wear pants (and sometimes ski pants...) and winter boots TO work as it's just too cold for skirts even with fleece tights, so my office shoes are indoor-only. I have flat riding boots but I only wear them in fall or spring when it's not too cold to go outside in them as it does seem kind of weird to switch my outdoor boots for indoor ones for some reason. But I guess I could just bring those in and not worry about if that is in fact weird.

I pretty much only wear straight or skinny dress trousers as well, so boots do work well, but I'm short so I generally think ankle boots make me look short unless the pants go over them (like I'm doing today.) I'm kind of surprised they're so popular, actually. Sigh. Maybe I just have to sacrifice not-stumpy legs for warm feet?

thespeshulestsnowflake

lolo883 said:

thespeshulestsnowflake said:

I almost never wear pants to work, but most that I do wear are 'skinny' cut, so tall boots in winter are my go to choice.

This just got interesting.

Totally what I wear to work. Market research is crazy. Lol. 

No, I'm a boots with tights/legging and a dress or long sweater or tunic top person.

princessleia22

I've recently been looking for new work shoes that will be comfortable.  I have back issues so good shoes are critical or my back will be killing by end of the day. I've been asking around and researching and I've heard a lot of recommendations for Danskos.  They aren't the cheapest shoe in the world, but they are supposed to be extremely comfortable and last a while.

theartistformerlyknownas

Not all Oxfords are clunky and bad...

http://www.dsw.com/shoe/restricted+rock+.and.+roll+oxford?prodId=306540&productRef=SEARCH

http://www.dsw.com/shoe/not+rated+lonely+beauty+oxford?prodId=305329&productRef=SEARCH

http://www.dsw.com/shoe/not+rated+orion+oxford?prodId=309553&productRef=SEARCH

jenna8984

Mine are a year old so they don't make the exact one anymore but it's basically THESE (same brand and everything just the newer version). I'm obsessed with them because I can wear them over skinny jeans/ skinny work cordouroys but I can also wear them underneath regular cut dress pants.

I also have/love THESE because they give a little height, and I wear them with black socks.

VulgarGirl

I'm kind of in love with cute oxfords on ladies right now.

Everything from ModCloth.

amelisha

MagicInk said: I'm kind of in love with cute oxfords on ladies right now.





Everything from ModCloth. YES. THIS IS WHAT I NEED. I mean, it's not a big heel, so that would totally work, right?

Plain black shoes hurt my soul.

theartistformerlyknownas

OMG THE MAGENTA PLAID ONES.

VulgarGirl

lolo883 said:

OMG THE MAGENTA PLAID ONES.

Yes. I know. I need those.

wandajune6

I forgot about oxfords. Have <these> and <these> and wear them any chance I get.

chibiyui

Mmmmm. Dat teal tho.

thespeshulestsnowflake

chibiyui said:

Mmmmm. Dat teal tho.

Truth. Teal is my color.

theartistformerlyknownas

chibiyui said:

Mmmmm. Dat teal tho.

If those had a little lower of a vamp I'd be all over those. But I have too high of an arch for those.

buttercup1958

I have the teal shoes in cream and I recommend them! They are cute and comfy

mrsk616

i bought a pair of ballet flats from skechers that have memory foam i tend to wear them with no socks in the summer but in the winter a decent pair of black socks would look ok IMO 

nessiemmmkay

amelisha said:

As I teeter around in my favourite 5-inch-heeled ankle boots today (thanks to my ski boots effing up my feet), it has occurred to me that I could use a pair of fashionable, office-appropriate (not a suit-jacket-required environment but a step up from just "no jeans") flat (or very low-heeled) shoes that I can actually wear socks with without those socks showing. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm a stiletto girl and most of my shoes are heeled but sometimes I'd like to have flats as an option, but something that still looks dressy and goes with suit-type trousers.

I have an extensive collection of ballet flats under my desk but in the middle of winter I'd love to have work shoes I can wear socks with, but the only ones I can think of are the clunky Oxford types that are not very feminine. Halp?

I guess I do not understand why flats can't be worn with socks or have socks showing. I wear black flats with black socks to work most days and so do other people at my office and I think it looks fine. I also live where it is cold out so I guess I really don't care if it is a fashion no-no but I guess I'm just curious why. I don't wear heels much because I'm tall and have back pain and if I do they're usually wedges with maybe 1-2 inches at most. I like to invest in inexpensive flats and have a good pair of arch supports I put in all of them since I go through a few pairs a year.

Otherwise I got cute ankle boots last year from kohls from the Vera Wang brand with maybe a half inch heel and they work well with dress pants, so I would recommend those of they still sell them.

amelisha

nessiemmmkay said:

As I teeter around in my favourite 5-inch-heeled ankle boots today (thanks to my ski boots effing up my feet), it has occurred to me that I could use a pair of fashionable, office-appropriate (not a suit-jacket-required environment but a step up from just "no jeans") flat (or very low-heeled) shoes that I can actually wear socks with without those socks showing. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm a stiletto girl and most of my shoes are heeled but sometimes I'd like to have flats as an option, but something that still looks dressy and goes with suit-type trousers.

I have an extensive collection of ballet flats under my desk but in the middle of winter I'd love to have work shoes I can wear socks with, but the only ones I can think of are the clunky Oxford types that are not very feminine. Halp?

I guess I do not understand why flats can't be worn with socks or have socks showing. I wear black flats with black socks to work most days and so do other people at my office and I think it looks fine. I also live where it is cold out so I guess I really don't care if it is a fashion no-no but I guess I'm just curious why. I don't wear heels much because I'm tall and have back pain and if I do they're usually wedges with maybe 1-2 inches at most. I like to invest in inexpensive flats and have a good pair of arch supports I put in all of them since I go through a few pairs a year. Otherwise I got cute ankle boots last year from kohls from the Vera Wang brand with maybe a half inch heel and they work well with dress pants, so I would recommend those of they still sell them.

I dunno, I would never wear socks with ballet-type flats because to me it doesn't look very polished or professional to have your socks showing even if they're black. I don't know if that's just a hangup I have, but I don't think anyone else in my office does that either. My boss would definitely look askance at me having socks showing too.

No idea if there's a fashion rule about it or anything, but I think my office is too dressy for it for sure. We're a "no-bare-legs-ever" environment too, so pantyhose or tights are absolutely mandatory with dresses or skirts (which must also be knee-length, no exceptions.) Open toes require pedicures (not like many people wear them with the pantyhose rule enforced), too, all that kind of thing. Like I mentioned, we're fairly conservative and we work in a very traditionally "professional" profession, so we may be a little stuck in the Dark Ages, but yeah.

theartistformerlyknownas

I would never wear any type of sock with a ballet flat. I have a pair of black wedges that I wear a semi-sheer trouser sock with, but between a relatively high vamp and the length/width of my pants, you can't see the socks.

I guess a sheer knee-high would work with ballet flats, but they're more of a summer shoe for me. If it's cold enough that I can't go bare, it's too cold for ballet flats.

PrettyGirlLost

You can also buy dress or trouser socks and wear them with regular flats.