Style Over 50: Making Flats Fun

Tuesday, while dining al fresco with my husband at a café in Tribeca, I observed lots of women, mostly under age 35, parading by our little table. The overwhelming majority of young women were wearing 5-inch shoes or sandals--thick platforms, cork wedges, blue shoes with zebra-striped heels, laced-up bootie with cut-away toes and heels, and many other designs. (Just the thought of running around the city, climbing flights of stairs or maneuvering the potholes and subway grates in 5-inch heels terrifies me.) Occasionally, a woman walked by in flat sandals. As I watched the sandal parade, one thing seemed clear: 5-inch sandals are much cooler than flats. The elevated sandals were original, fun and eye-catching. The flat sandals--leather flip flops, thongs and simple criss-cross strap designs--were sensible, but, well, boring. And some of the flat sandals were worse than boring--in lieu of any design sense, they were piled high with ridiculous shiny bobbles or bursting leather flowers. (Embellishment is not synonymous with style.) What's the over 50 woman who wants fun footwear, but can't tolerate 5-inch heels to do? One solution: Paint your toes with unconventional colors and special designs.

START WITH A SIMPLE FLAT SANDAL
If, like me, you've bought simple, natural leather sandals without much style or personality for the summer, a splash of toe polish might brighten your feet and your spirits. Below are some of this season's simple flat sandals...



Tory Burch Abitha Patent Flip Flops ($85)





CAYMEN - TAUPE LEA (was $89.95, now $53.95)




Diane von Furstenberg Lush Love Knot Jelly Flip Flops ($49, but only 1 size left)



FIONNAA COGNAC LE (was $79.95, now $55.95 in selected colors)




UGG Australia Anatina Flat Sandals ($91)


NEXT, EXPERIMENT WITH TOE POLISHES
So far this summer, I've gravitated to the many hues of blue and green. Call me crazy, but I'm loving the metallic blues and foaming green polishes (see below).




Yesterday, I ran into a girlfriend who's clearly raised the bar on fun summer toes. For her 30th wedding anniversary, her pedicurist added little silver drops with a chopstick to the large toes (see below). If, like me, you live in an area with nail salons every 50 feet, you might want to give this look a try. Or grab some silver polish, a chopstick and try it yourself.



And today at the office, I noticed a work colleague's toe and asked her if I could snap this picture. It sure beats just a plain old coat of pink polish. Yes?