The unicorn of shoes: black leather slip-on, stylish, no heel

November 1, 2017 9:13 AM

Non-heel-wearers of MeFi, help me find my shoe unicorn. The "stylish" and "no heel" part seem to be the most complicated. Sometimes durability is an issue too. Assume price is no object. Examples inside.

Some examples of the almost-perfect shoe:
Naot Miro (beautiful, tried them on but the heel is 3/4" so way too tall)
Puma Vedano (love the detailing, but has a split sole instead of normal sole)
Skechers Diameter-Zinroy (reviews indicate durability is a problem)
Ecco Wave (too plain, but I wore these for years as they're incredibly comfortable, and they are truly flat which I love even though it doesn't look like it from the outside)
EpicStep Loafers (nice design, but poor quality and heel too high)

I can do a tiny heel (like 1/2" or less) but would really prefer a truly flat shoe. Sometimes you can't tell whether a shoe is flat or not until you try it on (like with the Ecco Wave vs. Naot Miro above), so I'm hoping for some personal experience here.

Can anyone recommend specific brands/models to look for? How is the heel height on Clarks? Maybe some European ones for men would do the trick?

posted by danceswithlight to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (9 answers total)

If price truly is no object I suggest Arche shoes. A cursory look at the offerings shows some suitable styles. The pair I have is the most comfortable pair of fashion shoes I have ever worn.
posted by crazycanuck at 9:24 AM on November 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I don’t know if you’d find them beautiful (I do), but I love my Vivobarefoot Lisbon shoes. Truly flat, very comfortable, and I expect them to last as long as other shoes from the same company. They are expensive but they’re one of two pairs I wear and are so good for my feet. They have other models that look more feminine and are less expensive, too.
posted by stellaluna at 9:31 AM on November 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Well, I don't know about stylish, but I was into barefoot shoes for a while, and no heel drop was a big thing. I think Vivobarefoot makes some barefoot shoes that aren't extremely sporty.
posted by Comrade_robot at 9:34 AM on November 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I asked a closely related question last month. Some good answers there.
posted by zadcat at 9:38 AM on November 1, 2017

I haven't tried these myself, but most Keen shoes are no-heel. Here's a slip-on model, and they have a chat window where you can ask how much of a heel.
posted by hydra77 at 11:55 AM on November 1, 2017

Frye is the master of comfortable, butter-soft leather slip-on shoes. They can be a bit pricey, but they'll last for quite a long time and some can be resoled.

Melanie Slip-On
Regina Ballet Flat
Carson Ballet Flat
posted by muirne81 at 2:30 PM on November 1, 2017

Have you looked at Camper? Their shoes are amazingly comfortable and well made.
posted by mumimor at 2:38 PM on November 1, 2017

I own flats from poppy barley (Canadian company, shoes ethically produced in Mexico) and they've lasted me almost two years with no issues. I LOVE them. You can order semi custom - size and width - which means they should work for almost everyone.
posted by some chick at 3:20 PM on November 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

You might like Rothy's - I'm happy with my pair!
posted by DayTripper at 1:50 PM on November 2, 2017