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Updated: Feb 24, 2021 87 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Blackbird Loafers

Coffee Break |

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I was scrolling somewhere on social media lately (Instagram, maybe?) and I got an ad for Birdies' new washable loafers. I've been drooling over Birdies ever since I didn't purchase the feathery slippers last year (congrats to whoever snapped those up!), and this may be the thing that gets me to try them.

The Blackbird is one of their bestselling styles — the new “engineered knit” also features their no-slip rubber sole and removable insole — but this one is washable. I particularly like the slightly sharper point to the toe compared to the non-washable versions, as well as the more matte fabric.

The black version is almost entirely sold out, but the coral and eggshell versions still have lots of sizes left. The shoes are $120 at Birdies.com. (If it's your first order, you can get $20 off your first order with this referral code.)

Hunting for other comfortable flats? These are some of the readers' favorites from previous years — what are your latest favorites?

Some of our favorite comfortable flats for work as of 2024 include M.M.LaFleur, AGL, and French Sole. On the more affordable side, check out Rothy's, Sam Edelman, and Rockport. We've also rounded up the best loafers for work, and our favorite sneakers for work outfits!

beige flat with black cap toe and metallic buckle detail
AGL
black patent flats
M.M.LaFleur
nude-for-you dark beige washable flats
Rothy's
black round-toe velvet flat
Sam Edelman

Sales of note for 9.30.24

Sales of note for 9.30.24

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

About Kat

Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

  1. Curious

    Ladies — another win for the hive! My partner and I signed up for a Gottman class to prep for the baby transition. I told him Gottman comes highly recommended from Corporette, and he was like well then we have to take it. This from the man who generally likes to tough things out and is mildly skeptical of therapy. :) Thank you!

  2. Anon

    My living room doesn’t have a great place for a tv. We have a sofa facing a huge fireplace and the tv is to the left of the fireplace, in front of a window and in a corner. I could potentially mount the TV portrait style on the wall to the left (near the corner it’s currently in, it would fit in between another window and the corner). The tv would then swing out and rotate to normal landscape mode for viewing and then I could push it back to store. Is this a terrible idea? I can’t tell if it would look silly or not. I’d probably get a Samsung Frame tv to make it look like art.

    What do other people do with their tvs?

    • Cat

      that sounds like a good solution. The hardest part may be ensuring you have studs where you need them for the mounting to work.

    • No Face

      I am too lazy to rotate a tv back and forth, so it would stay extended out. How does that look in the space?

    • Anonymous

      Is there any way to mount the TV above the fireplace?

      When we built our new house, we opted out of a fireplace so we could have a central place for the TV.

      • BeenThatGuy

        This is where my tv is. My house is 100 years old and I was worried how the brick would hold up to the drilling and weight, so I hired this out to professionals. I also use my fireplace daily, it’s gas, so I spoke to the fireplace people about the heat affecting the tv. I’ve had no problems and am very happy with the room layout now.

      • Anonymous

        Mine is above my fireplace. I wouldn’t be able to mentally settle with it set up the way the OP is proposing, but to each their own!

      • Anon

        There is no possible way to put it above this fireplace. It’s very grand and large fireplace in an old house and it would look really weird. If it was a normal fireplace I’d totally do it.

      • Anonymous

        If you can’t mount the TV over the fireplace, how about a projection TV with a screen that drops down from the ceiling in front of the fireplace?

    • Anon

      I didn’t like the options for placement of the tv in my living room, so I put it in a different room. It’s just me and my boyfriend living here, and we only have one tv, so ymmv. We made one of the bedrooms into a den that has a comfy couch and chairs and the tv is in there. It’s actually really lovely because we have the living room/dining room area as a great place for sitting around chatting with guests (in non-COVID times).

      • Anon

        I did the same. Old house. “Spare” bedroom is the TV room. The couch converts into a bed. We’re not going to throw any Super Bowl parties with this setup but we’re not the types anyway.

        I have a 5’10” grand piano in the living room so no room for a TV.

      • Anonymous

        We did this too. TV is in the basement, living room is for reading.
        Frame TVs are crazy expensive, largely because you’re paying for how flat to the wall and wireless it is. Putting it on an extendable bracket would defeat that purpose IMO.

    • anon

      I think putting the Frame tv on the type of mount that can swivel out would ruin the effect, because then it wouldn’t store flat against the wall. Unfortunately I think it would just look like a vertical tv and not art. I mean, unless you were going to maybe cut into the wall and somehow attach the mount into a recess so that when it’s retracted the TV would sit flush with the wall. But that seems pretty drastic.

      • Anon

        They actually do sell recessed mounts where the arm sits in a little box in the wall. It should be able to sit flush to the wall but I’m still not completely sold.

        • anon

          Ha, I did not know that! Well then, it could be cool! We just had to return a Frame because the wiring system wasn’t compatible with our setup and we weren’t willing to cut into our wall (again) to hide the box thing it comes with. I am still a little sad. It’s a really neat tv.

    • anonymous

      whatever you do, do not mount the TV above the fireplace. Everyone does this and 1) it looks terrible, 2) it’s bad for the TV, and 3) it’s WAY too high for a TV to be mounted. You should be able to look directly at the TV, you should not have to look up at all or the viewing angles will not be right. I think your idea to mount it portrait-style and swing out when used is great.

    • Anonymous

      We put the TV on a different wall from the fireplace and oriented the couch to face the TV. We couldn’t put the couch facing the fireplace anyway because the room is laid out very oddly. If your room is bigger than ours, you could have a sectional or two couches to allow people to sit facing either the fireplace or the TV.

    • Jeffiner

      Does the sofa have to face the fireplace? Do you use it a lot? Even if you do use it, do you want to look at it all the time? Could the sofa be perpendicular to the fireplace instead?

    • Anonymous

      That’s the exact set up I have. It looks fine. I like it because it keeps the fireplace as the focal point of the room. And it’s nice to be able to adjust the tv, depending on where you are sitting in the room.

    • Anonymous

      I would put the TV in another room so my brothers and nephews couldn’t take over the living room watching sports every time they came over and would actually have to interact with the rest of us or do their noisy TV watching in the basement.

    • Anonymous

      There are some very pretty wooden tripod like TV stands – could you do one of those and not have to worry about the wall? Vogels has one called Next OP1 Wood that looks very nice. The cords are hidden in the back leg.

      • Anon

        The Frame also comes with some nice tripod stands that make it look like a modern art gallery display. Do check them out!

    • Frame

      I adore my Frame TV! We got it for similar reasons and most of the time people legitimately think it’s a piece of art.

  3. Anon

    Does anyone have these? My aging daily-driver Rothys (in before times) are looking a bit worn and I was thinking of re-ordering. If it matters, I have sort of triangular duck feet — wider in the toe box (sort of B+ width) but with narrow heels. I wore narrow shoes as a kid and then broke toes in each foot, so it is a bit of a Frankenfoot shape. Round toe Rothys work for me (but it’s not the prettiest foot in that shape) and I suspect that the prettier (to me) pointy-toe Rothys would not work at all).

    Keens hiking boots (for wide-ish feet in B width) work well for my feet with thick wool hiking socks, but that’s not going to be an office shoe even though I’d love that.

    • Anonie

      If I could live in Birdies, I would. HIGHLY recommend! I have 2 pairs and they feel like walking on (cute) clouds. And I very rarely purchase from internet companies! I have trouble walking in shoes without backs, so both of my pairs are enclosed shoes. I cannot vouch for the slides.

      • BB

        Okay, that’s it – I’m buying these! Did you have to size up a half size? I screwed that up with Rothy’s and then couldn’t return them, so don’t want to get this wrong again! (Although looks like they have free returns).

        • Anonie

          I went with a size 7 and that is my typical shoe size, although I occasionally size down or up with other brands. I don’t know exactly about their return policy, as I haven’t had to return Birdies…I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

    • Anonymous

      Same shape foot! Thanks. comfy house slippers with support that I can wear outside, sound great. I am working from home in socks for months and wearing sneakers outside. Work shoes are going to be tough!

    • Anon

      I have triangular duck feet as well, I wear extra-wide shoes for my crazy sideways toes and have to stuff moleskin in my narrow heel area.

      Pointy-toed Rothys do fit me comfortably, sized up an entire full size. BUT: they don’t look slimming or adorably petite. You can definitely see every bulge of my weird bone structure. If you’re worried about camouflaging strange feet, they’re a no. But for comfort, they’re a yes.

  4. Anon

    I had to measure my waist to do my best with mail-ordering some pants and since NYE (so: while on good clean non-holiday living and mostly home cooking vs restaurant food), I have added 2+ inches to my waist. How is that possible?! I don’t feel bloated. And I’m on seasonal birth control, so not OTR, PMSing (or pregnant, for that matter). I have my normal 10 pounds I’d like to lose, but have largely been the same size all of my adult life. Is it some sort of food baby? If I were a hypochondriac (TUMOR!), I’d gently talk myself down from that as horribly unlikely. Given the geography, is this something to ask a GP about (it seems silly) or some sort of weird female problem (I have had kids, but the last one was 10 years ago). I’m probably perimenopausal, but the BCP probably masks that.

    • Anon

      My weight has substantially re-arranged itself over the last 10 years (I’m 43). The number hasn’t changed. That’s one of those things nobody tells you about when growing up. I swear, “perimenopause” is really second puberty.

      • Jeffiner

        This. I’m the same weight I was when I was in college, and although I was overweight then and am overweight now, my figure looked a heck of a lot better back then.

      • Anon

        Yes you don’t see a lot of pear-shaped old ladies. It moves from the hips to the waist and there’s really no stopping it.

        • Anon

          I’m 54 and can confirm. I hated being a pear, though, so having my waist and hips closer to equalized doesn’t bother me. I gained 5 pounds recently which I managed to lose, and it seemed like all 5 were bunched up right around my belly button.

        • anon

          Age 40, and I swear that in the last six months I’ve suddenly become an apple-shaped pear. Still have my hips and thighs, but now I have a larger waist, too. I am not impressed.

        • Kat in VA

          I am turning 50 this year and can also confirm. This more-or-less hourglass (more “less” but not quite a rectangle) has thickened substantially in the last 5-7 years.

      • Anonymous

        People tell you, but 25-year-old women don’t think it will happen to them.

        • Anon

          Maybe someone told you, but no, the older women I grew up around didn’t talk about it.

    • Anonymous

      Ummmmm. There’s literally nothing wrong. You’ve gained weight. You’re probably holding the tape measure differently. Can’t imagine concluding tumor based on this.

  5. No

    Best air purifier for a living room that is also open to the kitchen and dining? Pollen is coming…

    • Anon

      I have both the Coway and the Blueair recommended by Wirecutter. I like them both, but the Blueair does better with larger spaces even though it technically isn’t HEPA. I also like that the Blueair dust filter is the outside sock, so it’s really clear when I need to clean it, rather than the Coway which lets me neglect it for longer.

      I use them for smoke season, so not sure about pollen performance.

      • no

        I actually have the coway in my bedroom and love it. I was disgusted when I finally remembered to change the filter the first time. I don’t think it could handle my living area though. I’ll look at the blueair though. Thanks!

      • Anonymous

        I have one of the larger Blueair Blue Pure Auto units in my open family room/kitchen area and love it. It’s very quiet on low speed and not nearly as ugly as other air filtration units. We started with small Blueair units in all the bedrooms, and all family members with allergies noticed improvement in their symptoms. When we added the one downstairs, there was additional improvement.

      • Anonymous

        We did that and it did not have anywhere near the effect that adding filtration units did.

  6. anon

    Silly question: we had cousins unexpectedly move in with us long-term and they ate all of my daughter’s Valentine’s Day chocolates (this was unexpected because the rest of my immediate family doesn’t eat chocolate). Where do I buy non-holiday fancy-looking boxes of chocolates? Target (my go-to for all things) doesn’t seem to have a great selection. Not too expensive, but something that a 7 year old will think is amazing.

    • Anon

      Oh man, your cousins sound like total a-holes. “Like taking candy from a baby” is meant to describe a jerk move for a reason.

      Depending on how fancy you want to go, anything from Russel Stover at the drug store to See’s by mail order. I think you will probably be able to get easter themed boxes soon.

    • Senior Attorney

      Do you have a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory near you? Of if you’re in California, See’s for the win, always.

      Or you can buy Lindt or Ferrero Rocher on Amazon, and they would be very 7-year-old friendly, I think.

    • HW

      If you have CVS nearby they often have a good selection of fancy-looking non-expensive candy.

    • Anone

      My kids love the Russell Stover chocolates – found at Walgreens, CVS or the grocery store.

    • Anon

      I’m in the south and Publix carries Whitman Samplers all year round.
      Peterbrooke is a good choice, too, if there’s one nearby.

    • Lily

      Ferrero Rocher! They look kinda fancy and taste amazing but you can buy at any drugstore.

    • pugsnbourbon

      What about the Lindt chocolate truffles? Easy to find at most grocery stores. I’m fully mid-thirties and I think they’re fancy.
      (Also I assumed the cousins were children/teens and may not have known the ownership of the chocolates)

    • Anon

      Godiva sometimes has mall stores, or Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s if you want something a step above the CVS/Walgreens options. If you want really fancy, see if you can find a local chocolate shop (if you happen to be in the Triangle area of North Carolina, Escazu is amazing. But pricey.)

    • anon

      Thanks everyone! The cousins are 3 and 5 and I’m sure just thought it was family chocolate :). Clearly there were some ground rules to be established LOL. These are all great ideas – I think I’ll take her to World Market or CVS this weekend and let her pick out a box for sharing.

      • Anon

        Oh! I totally imagined grown ups. You should get some for the cousins too, then, and talk about not eating other people’s food.

      • Anonymous

        That’s on the parents, then. No 3-year-old or 5-year-old should just be helping themselves to any food unless the family keeps designated kid snacks that they’re allowed to have.

        • Anon

          Why does every question such as where to buy chocolates have to become a blamefest? It can’t be an innocent mistake, the parents have to suck, it’s like r3ddit level drama every minute around here

        • anon

          Oh for crying out loud. This is such a non-issue. Things happen, nobody has been harmed, and the kids are getting new chocolate.

    • LaurenB

      Wouldn’t any Walgreens or CVS have candy in boxes fancy enough to impress a 7 yo?

  7. AnonNG

    For those who have dated single parents with a child or kids, what is communication like? I dont have much experience dating people who are parents and I often find myself wondering if I should call the person on days or weekends when they are with their child. And at times feeling like we dont communicate enough, e.g. I know it may not be reasonable to expect lengthy phone calls but for example texting is okay. In brief trying to get a sense of boundaries, and what is considered reasonable. I have seen this discussed here before but cannot find the thread now. Would love some insight from you ladies.

    • anon

      We can’t answer this for you. This is a conversation you need to have with your person, who will likely have feelings about how he thinks it should go based on his parenting style and the kid’s temperament.

      • Anon

        I think it’s a fair question to ask what people think a baseline would be.

    • CountC

      I agree with the poster who says it will differ from person to person, but I will still give you anecdata. I am dating someone who has two kids – 11 and 9. My partner does not have equal custody unfortunately (he’s working on it). On days he has the kids, I do not initiate calls. I limit my texting and if I do text, absolutely do not expect an immediate response or even any response while the kids are with him. We talked about it when we first started dating, though. I didn’t guess. I made it very clear I respected his time with his kids and would let him tell me what was appropriate during those times. I have no complaints about our situation.

    • theguvnah

      My dude and I were long distance for over a year and he has his kid every other week (she was probably 9 at the time) and he called me every night, usually after she went to bed (but not always) when she was there and a bit earlier when she wasn’t. This was a cadence that worked for us, but YMMV.

      if you guys are together officially – not just dating – calling anytime you want feels right to me. A 12 year old is probably off doing their own crap and plus, adults are allowed to be adults and not entertain their children at all times.

      • CountC

        I agree with your last paragraph. My partner doesn’t entertain his kids every minute of the time they have together, and if he is busy with them and I were to call, would not pick up and would call me back after they were done. If it was an emergency, I’d send a follow-up text after I called to that extent.

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