5 Flat Shoe Trends Every Smart Parisian Woman Owns

Something about living in Paris: If you don't like to walk, you probably shouldn't move there. It's a highly walkable city, with neighborhoods heavily concentrated with cafés, markets, and shops, and if you need to travel further, chances are that you'll at least have to walk to the Metro station. And while the streets are constantly being repaved (it's a very old city, after all), you'll still find a fair amount of cobblestone ones. My point is: It's not a city that's exactly made for wearing heels. 

If you scroll through the Instagram accounts of French women, there's further proof, as you'll see lots of flats outfits (and when they do wear heels, they're usually block heels). It's a great place to turn to for flat shoe-trend intel because of this. There are five styles, in particular, that I've seen over and over on the feet of French women this year, and each of them is trendy yet classic. With that, scroll to find your next chic pair of flats

ballet flats, loafers, retro sneakers, clogs, mary janes

Loafers

Loafers are always around, but they've certainly had a resurgence as of late. And the most beautiful thing about them is that they're one of the few shoe styles you could feasibly wear year-round. 

Shop the best loafers:

Old-School Sneakers

Retro sneakers have magical powers in that they instantly make any outfit even cooler. French women are aware of this as they usually choose them over basic athletic sneakers.

Shop the best old-school sneakers:

Ballet Flats

It's definitely cliché to say it but French women actually do wear ballet flats—especially since they're so trendy this season. Do your self a favor and order a pair before fall arrives.

Shop the best ballet flats:

Clogs

A slightly newer trend than its predecessor ballet flats, clogs have become the go-to effortless slip-ons that French girls favor.

Shop the best clogs:

Mary Janes

They're certainly in the ballet flats family, but Mary Janes are unique enough to have their own category. They add vintage appeal to whatever they're paired with, which is probably one of the reasons French women embrace them.

Shop the best Mary Janes:

Next up, 7 accessories French women use to elevate their outfits.