Making the World Flat, One Helper at a Time

I made a calculated decision this week. I decided it was worth doubling my daily exercise so that I could, on occasion, have butter. Previously I was living in a low-impact, low-butter world; now I am living in a high-impact, occasional-pat-of-butter world. This world is better. But as anyone who has ever gone from not an athlete to simulation of athleticism can tell you, things hurt. A lot. Everywhere. This presents some problems for the woman whose shoe closet contains two things: Chucks and stilettos. So, I must admit that the time has come for flats.

I used to own three pairs of excellent stacked Prada loafers (thank you ebay), two of which actually fit well. These were terrific work shoes because they went just as well with a skirt as with pants, were super comfortable even at 3.5 inches, and could be worn all day long while walking places. They were so excellent that for about five years, I wore them nearly every day. As a result, they wore out rather more quickly than I would have liked and now I no longer have them. Sadly, my subsequent hunts for replacements have not turned up much - the stacked loafer doesn't seem to be in vogue right now. But flats are. They're everywhere. Some of them are ridiculous, but some of them aren't bad.

So I send you, my internet and fashion savvy readers, on a quest for flats. Here are your parameters: flats must be under $100 - I do not like them enough to spend more and I'm hoping to buy more than one pair; flats should be plainer rather than ornate, but I could be swayed by an excellent color; I wear a size 11. I'm going to be searching too, but sometimes you people come up with better ideas than I could on my own. If you happen across a pair of suitable stacked loafers while you're at it, I shall bake you a cake!

P.S. Even those these make sense in theory, I'm just not feeling it.