Shoes for life

I thought I would look back at flats in the past few decades to see what has remained popular, or at least wearable, for the last 50 years or so. Shoe of these shoes look clearly dated, but some look like something I could slip on today.

  • In the 60s, flats and low heels seemed to be pretty common including pointy toes and ballet flats - here's a variety. They were pretty simple, and look very much like current ballet flats. Just stick to neutral colours.
  • Some 70s flat shoe trends included loafers, more loafers and knee boots. Some of those boots look somewhat dated now mostly because of the details. But if you got them in plain leather (instead of patent) and in a single colour, you'd have a classic knee-high boot that would look perfectly modern today - like the second from the left.
  • The 70s were also the age of the Earth shoe. The Wallabee (by Clarks) made a resurgence in the 90s, mostly for men, and seem to be having another popular run now. These definitely have their own unique aesthetic, but it doesn't feel dated.
  • In the 80s it was either pointy kitten heels or sneakers. But jellies were a thing, and remind me of Crocs huaraches flats which are comfortable beyond reason.
  • Oh, also these kind of boots were popular, which remind me of the popular slouchy boots from about 7 or 8 years ago, both of which now feel dated.
  • Both the 80s and 90s saw a resurgence of loafers, sometimes colourful, sometimes cluncky like Hush Puppies, but also classic penny loafers (remember from the 70s). And these penny loafers are also back now.
/r/femalefashionadvice Thread