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Updated: Dec 15, 2020 72 Comments · by

Gift Idea: FitFlop Ballet Shoe

Coffee Break

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I haven't checked out FitFlop's offerings in a while, but the days of the huge platformed black sneakers seem to be gone — and instead they have a lot of relatively cute ballet flats and sneakery-ballet flats right now.

Bloomingdale's has many (including the one pictured) marked to $60 (from $100) today.

I could see these being a great gift for someone trying to stay stylish but comfortable in an office, running errands, or even using it as a “house shoe” for better support.

Readers, have you tried FitFlop shoes lately? What are your thoughts? (And for those of you working from home, what are you using for “house shoes”?)

(And just to clarify because I'm seeing the commenters may be a bit confused by my text — “house shoes” means having a pair of shoes that you ONLY wear around the house. Not outside. Like slippers, but… shoes. Here are some articles for further reading from WhoWhatWear, Yahoo!, and PureWow.

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Sales of note for 9.30.24

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Comments

  1. Ribena

    I would actually buy these – I feel like I’m always searching for ballet shoe type flats that have an actually substantial sole.

        • LaurenB

          They’ve been around for years. They used to have these flip flops that had sort of a rocker sole, so you were slightly off balance and that was supposedly good for you. (Not enough off balance that you’d feel it.)

    • anonn

      haven’t tried these, but the Vionic ballet flats are amazing. built in arch support but don’t look like old lady shoes

  2. NY CPA

    I would buy these in an instant if they came in wide width. I’m always looking for ballet flats that actually have support. Alas, my feet are too wide for every standard width non-sneaker I’ve tried on in years.

    • Anonymous

      Vionic is doing wide width with some styles now. Highly recommend. They’re the only flats I could wear at trade shows. Back when there were trade shows…

    • BB

      They are pricey, but Paul Meyer flats fit my wide-ish feet well and have really great support! They used to be my go-to travel shoes that weren’t sneakers because I could walk around for hours in them.

    • Chgo MGO

      I almost always take a wide width size, but FitFlop is one of the few brands I have no problems buying in standard size. I’ve had success with their flats, loafers, sneakers, and boots. They are a godsend.

  3. Anonymous

    Fellow intuitive eaters, has anyone come across any good new resources for practicing your IE principles during the pandemic? I got most of my information from Real Life RD, but she doesn’t post much these days. I could use some new encouragement.

    • Anonymous

      What specifically are you struggling with that is related to the pandemic?

      • Anonymous

        I’m not struggling, but looking to reinforce good practices and mindsets around perceiving food, especially food that was formerly “off-limits.” It’s still tempting to slip into diet culture habits during times of stress, especially when it’s everywhere you look, and when my favorite outdoor recreation isn’t available to me right now.

    • HangryJo

      I’m just following some accounts on Instagram. Even though the content is not substantive it helps. Jennifer_rollin, beauty_redefined, _lisaolivera, etc.

    • Anonymouse

      Just in case you’ll see this – try the food psych podcast by Christy Harrison

  4. Ugh

    I have a Complicated Family. My parents are from conservative backgrounds and got married as undergrads so that they could have Activities; I came 9 months later; the divorce came soon after. Through dad, I have 4 younger half-siblings, who are good kids (10-18) that I’m close to now that the older two have phones (I never talk bad about our dad, largely trying to avoid the subject and just tell them how great they are). He divorced their mom b/c she didn’t get along with his girlfriend (who has 5 kids), now wife. I hear through my sibs that he is trying to reverse his V to have more kids. None of this is news. None of it is good.

    Since having me a quarter-century ago, he has done well for himself, so he is getting a huge new house, but it only has enough bedrooms for the new wife’s kids. They all live in the same town and some of the kids go to the same school (one, thankfully, got a scholarship to college Somewhere Else and I hope he can go in person in the fall). The kids who are my half-sibs have to stay in what looks like a barracks in the basement (of what seems like a 5000 sq ft house).

    I thought I was done being mad at him. Clearly, I need to go to one of those ax-throwing places or buy a speedbag b/c this is just so not right. I get tons of bunkbeds in a small room if that is what you can afford. But not if you can do better but choose not to. If I won the lottery, I’d take them all in.

    • ArenKay

      You are a good sister to those kids, and your father is terrible. You have all my sympathy.

    • pugsnbourbon

      You’re a good sister. I bet when your half-siblings look back at their childhoods, they’ll be grateful that you were there for them.

      • Ugh

        Except that I’m not really there. I have a different mom that I lived with pretty much FT and have always been a bit unwelcome, especially for the past 5 years (he and wife #2 ran hot and cold for years, so things were very tense and I could avoid due to school and starting work). Wife #3 would strangle us all in our sleep (maybe not me since he’s not paying support for me; definitely the others). I just tell them that being grown and working is awesome and your are a grownup for most of your life and you get to make choices.

        My mom’s family is tiny and mostly vanilla (men die of heart attacks, so it’s me, mom, and a great aunt). The relatives on dad’s side are all in the very strict religious community they grew up in, so they have no use for a single woman with a job and no husband. It’s like there is nothing to talk about, which is fine by me. They are kind of enablers (but not really in a position to stop or or shun him or cast him out of their church).

        Ugh.

        • BeenThatGuy

          I have a half sibling that I never lived with much (he was 16 when I was born and he moved out at 18). We connected when I was in college and he was so wonderful and supportive of me during that difficult transition. We’ve built our relationship from there and it’s a true blessing. Point of my story is that please don’t give up on your half-siblings. You might not be able to be there for them now, but eventually they will be adults and you can forge your own relationship with them. Sounds like they are going to need you!

    • Vicky Austin

      Except for a few details I’d be convinced you’re my BFF. Her dad is also a dirtbag who chose his wife du jour’s kids over her and her siblings many times. To add insult to injury, her mom was repeatedly married to abusive assholes. Anyway, I’m sorry, and it sounds like, without giving up your own life for your half-sibs, that you are as positive a figure as you can be for them.

    • Anonymous

      I can sympathize, my MIL treats her “own” children entirely differently than the child of her second husband despite the fact they blended families when that child was in elementary school. He’s so sweet he never complains but it makes me really angry. If the universe gives you children whether through birth, adoption, remarriage or a custodian-ship you should try to give them all the same shot at a happy life. Anyhow, be a stable good influence, stay in touch, and help where you can. I am the only person my entire extended family talks to and that role is valuable.

    • Anon

      You just described my sister’s marriage but it’s her kids that are out in the cold. It’s disgusting.

    • Anon

      Sounds a lot like my family, except my dad had 3 kids with my mom, then divorced her, moved across the country, married a 10 year younger woman, and had 2 kids with her via IVF when she had trouble conceiving. He paid for all of it while refusing to pay child support for us and putting his businesses in the girlfriend/then wife’s names so his wages wouldn’t be attached.

      He continued being a horrible, abusive, semi-functioning alcoholic with those kids, who are so young they could be mine. I don’t have a relationship with my dad. I am somewhat in touch with my half-siblings via social media. I used to harbor a fear they’d come find me some day and blame me for not doing more to protect them/mentor them/nurture them, but we live on opposite coasts. I went to therapy about this and realized my dad and their mom are responsible for them, not me. My dad hasn’t even been responsible for me and my 2 full siblings, so it’s not surprising he isn’t responsible with the 2 new ones. My therapist told me to say “it’s more bizarre behavior, as to be expected, from a bizarre man” anytime drama came up. I can’t ever know *what* the drama of the day will be, but I can always expect drama. That helps me feel less guilty for these 2 kids that I pity.

  5. Anon

    The concept of house shoe sends shivers up my spine (unless of course you need to wear shoes for medical reasons).

    I’m firmly no shoes in the house ever. I prefer to be barefoot all of the time (and is my suburban childhood summers when this was the case). The first thing I do when I come inside is take off my shoes. This is only partially a cleanliness thing – I don’t care if you have shoes you only wear indoors, no one can tell me it’s more comfortable to wear shoes indoors!

    • Anonymous

      I can see how it would be more comfortable to wear shoes indoors (in fact, I’m sure it would be for me), but I don’t wear them inside for cleanliness. Your shoes track in some really nasty sh*t!

      • Anon

        Yes! Oh im barefoot or socks only indoors partially because shoes are gross and partially because I find wearing shoes indoors to be uncomfortable

    • Anon

      I have wood floors, which aren’t as hard feeling as tile, but at the end of the day, I want to cook and do housework in something softer than socks. Crocs are perfect house shoes to me. I often an just in socks, but my bony feet don’t like standing on hard surfaces for very long, especially in prior times when they’d been in work shoes all day.

    • Anon

      Some of us need support for our aging feet, and it doesn’t mean we have a medical “problem” aside from not being 30 anymore.

      • anon

        +1. I’m 40, and within the past 2-3 years, I’ve noticed that my joints are much achier when I run around barefoot all day. Chalk it up to age and having really bony feet with not much padding. House slippers for the win. They’re clean and never worn outside the house, so what’s the problem?

      • pnw anon

        Yup! I live in my Birkenstock EVA Madrid sandals around the house. Am not using them outdoors. Thought I wouldn’t wear them much after the weather turned cooler, but they are perfect with socks. I can slip them on and off easily, and the heel cups are divine. Better than barefoot (for me). Never worn Birkenstocks or indoor only shoes, but not planning to go back.

        • Diana Barry

          Was it Ugg slippers someone recommended with arch support? Or Vionic? Or something else? None of my slippers (all 3 pairs, LOL) have arch support and it’s bothering me now that I’m wearing them most of the time.

          • pnw anon

            Oh gosh, I wonder. I know Vionic has arch support, but no idea about Uggs. I’ve heard good things about fleece lined Birks. I always check out Barking Dog Shoes blog when I want to get a recommendation for a specific foot issue. They do great reviews, including slippers with support.

          • Anon

            Birkenstock clogs have arch support customized by you to your own foot. I’ve tried lots of brands and these are the best for me.

          • Anonymous

            I have vionic slippers. Arch support and Velcro to adjust to the width of your foot. Divine.

      • PolyD

        +2. Wearing Crocs inside all day basically cured my plantar fasciitis.

        To be clear, I don’t wear them outside because they are pretty hideous, but they are a necessity when walking around inside.

      • anon

        +1. I’m 36. I live in a one-story house with flooring that is just thin laminate boards on concrete (no sub floor). At least one weekend day is devoted to chores, errands, cleaning, etc., and I can easily walk 10,000 steps just around my house those days. If I don’t wear supportive shoes, my feet and knees hurt at the end of the day and for much of the next day.

        Previous house was a second-story apartment, and the wood floors had a lot of give. I was fine walking around barefoot all day in that apartment. I was also 2-10 years younger.

      • KS IT Chick

        And some of us get cracks in our feet if we run around without shoes. It doesn’t matter how much lotion I slather on, if I don’t wear socks and shoes, my heels get deep, painful cracks. I keep a pair of leather Mary Janes just for wearing indoors. And we run the vacuum regularly,

        • pnw anon

          Or maybe just irritated by the OP stating their preference is wrong? Like you are irritated by their response. And like I am irritated by your response. And how you will be irritated by my response. And the cycle continues.

          • OP

            I did not realize my post was so aggressive. I find shoes indoors uncomfortable, guess I should have rephrased my post

          • pnw anon

            OP: I bet in person your tone wouldn’t have come across as aggressive, but things get lost in translation when typed out. Without nonverbal cues it is easy to feel defensive in the face of broad statements. I try to throw in a ymmv, or a smiley emoji or similar to temper them. The spoonful of sugar method, lol.

            And you probably never knew you would touch a nerve with tender footed folks! Before I had foot issues I didn’t give a thought to wearing whatever shoes I wanted and walk barefoot whenever for however long. I never wore shoes indoors, either, and never thought about it either. Now I have to be cautious of what shoes I wear and make sure my neuroma doesn’t get triggered, so barefoot can be more trouble than it is worth.

            May your feet remain happy and bare for all of your days!

      • Anon

        Deliberately exercising my feet while barefoot (against my podiatrist’s advice) cured me of needing orthotics. So I’m team barefoot at home (though being barefoot at home wasn’t nearly enough). I’ll see if this changes in the future if I lose padding over time.

        I don’t want to go barefoot in anyone else’s house though.

      • Anon

        Yay you.

        I used to work bad retail jobs with 8+ hours of standing, and I’m pretty sure it wrecked my feet. Standing on floors to cook, clean, and tidy is something I can do, but my feet throb and swell and keep me up at night. And this wasn’t an issue in my 20s, but starting at around 31, it is an issue.

        • Anon

          I don’t know why you people are getting worked up about this! Yikes

          I just observed that neither I, nor most people I know of all ages and professions (including the older relatives and the lifelong waiters and bartenders and UPS delivery men in my family) don’t wear shoes inside.

          There were several snooty responses…

    • No Face

      In my younger years, I was team barefoot. Shoes were foisted on me by society. Now I love my house shoes.

    • Anon

      “no one can tell me it’s more comfortable to wear shoes indoors!”

      Spoken like a true young person. Just wait a bit.

      • Anon

        I’m intrigued now! The older generation in my family is full of people who are on their feet often, if not all day, at work. Most of them have hardwood or laminate flooring with area rugs (but no wall to wall carpet) and everyone just goes barefoot/socks only in the house?

        I also grew up in a family where, in the summer, we’d (kids and adults) pretty much go barefoot unless we were in a restaurant or store. We’d walk the dog barefoot, we’d play in the yard barefoot, we’d walk over to hang out with the neighbors barefoot, mom would drive barefoot to take us to the pool and we’d never put shoes on. It was only later in life when I learned most people don’t leave their property still barefoot…

        Maybe this is just one of those “my family always did it this way” so I thought it was normal knowledge gaps?

        • Anonymous

          Yes. It is terribly unhygienic to wear shoes in the house. Bare feet around the house, the neighborhood and yard is much, much better.

          • Anon

            There are people who don’t wear shoes inside for other reasons besides hygiene

        • Anonymous

          Some of it is the mechanics of your foot. If you are someone with high arches, then aging and/or weight gain (especially if it is sudden like with pregnancy) can make them start to collapse. This can result in heel pain. Shoes also help correct gait a bit. So if you’re a neutral walker, NBD. If you’re someone who supinates or overpronates, then going barefoot can leave you more open to injury. As I’ve gotten older, I’m also much less likely to go barefoot outside just because of the general ick factor–I don’t want to step on gravel or glass or roughen up the skin on my feet. My husband always wears shoes. I only recently started. When we were first married, I’d marvel at how soft his feet were compared to mine.

    • Kat G

      Just to clarify my text above — they’re “house shoes” because you don’t wear them anywhere BUT the house. Like slippers, but… shoes.

      • Ugh

        THIS! I have inside the house shoes — LL Bean rubber-soled scuffs for winter, crocs for summer. My mom has slippers, but mine are more in the shoe department than boudoir. When I was a kid, my mom had marabou-trimmed house slides, but they never left the bedroom IIRC. MOM! EW! But mere socks are not enough for me. Socks + shoes if I am lugging laundry, cooking, etc.

    • Anon

      “No one can tell me” makes you sound like you enjoy alternative facts and think the Cheeto won.

      I can and will tell you that wearing something with arch support is far far far more comfortable for me than going barefoot. As a result, I’m basically only ever barefoot in the shower or in bed.

      • OP

        Oh wow I really did not mean for this to be controversial post! I find shoes at home to be uncomfortable and the first thing I do when I come inside is take my shoes off. I literally didn’t know shoes indoors were common – no one in my circle wears shoes indoors. I guess I should have said “no one can tell me that shoes indoors are more comfortable FOR ME”

        I can assure you that I’m a dyed in the wool Democrat and hate hate hate the Cheeto.

        Maybe I could have phrased my post to be more bland, but it wasn’t meant to be inflammatory. Like I said – I both hate wearing shoes inside and I don’t know anyone who does it! I didn’t realize team barefoot indoors was a hot take and I did not mean to be aggressive. Sometimes it boggles my mind what people get wound up about on this site…

      • LaurenB

        I have super-high arches but I’ve never personally felt the need to wear shoes inside, and I haven’t had the “my feet now hurt!” that a lot of people report even if I’m on my feet all day. Having said that, I find that I have a lot less ability to walk around in cute casual shoes – I wind up getting blisters – and am now finding myself using sneakers for more run-around occasions than I would have in the past.

  6. Anon

    Recommendation Request – I am looking for a winter vest (puffer style) but need one that is designed for people with bigger breast. I am a size medium in clothes but D in the chest and vest seem to be too tight. Sizing up will looks frumpy cause they are too big at the waist.

  7. Anon

    I don’t get it –for that price, I’d expect leather soles. Rubber makes my feet sweat (thus smelly).

    • Anonymous

      Really? They are only rubber exterior soles, but leather insoles and lining.

  8. Former lawyer

    Have any former-California lawyers here voluntarily resigned from the California bar?

    Since practicing in California, I have completely changed careers into non-law and moved out of state. I do not anticipate returning to the practice or going in a law-adjacent direction in my new career. I also don’t see myself returning to California.

    The $180+ annual inactive fee just seems very steep, especially as, if I were active, I would qualify for reduced fees based on my income.

    Any words of wisdom from anyone who’s also considered this? It feels like such a break from something I worked so hard for.

    • The original Scarlett

      I can’t imagine doing that if you’d have to take the bar again to get reinstated (no idea if you would, but suspect it’s a possibility if you resign). I’d see the $180 as a small price for insurance should your career ever change and you need the license again.

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