Best Ballet Flats

The best ballet flats offer a combination of style and comfort, allowing the wearer to flaunt a fashionista side without teetering on a pair of sky-high, ankle-breaking stilettos. Ballet flats come in all styles and colors, and each year, a whole new crop of spring and summer-ready flats hit the market. Which ballet flats are the best? That really depends, at least in part, on personal preference. But as with all other types of shoes, certain brands might have an edge over others. I've listed some of the best brands of ballet flats around. Feel free to vote on your favorites, and, if I've left any brands out, add them.

Ballet flats shoes continue to remain fashionable, decade after decade. Just as high-heeled shoes for women have been a staple in closets, so have ballet flats. Designed to look like ballet slippers, the best ballet flats keep you low to the ground but offer enough support to keep feet comfortable. Anyone who's ever worn a pair of bad ballet flats knows the pain of stepping on the tiniest of pebbles, only to go hopping and hobbling up the street in search of more comfy footwear. The ballet flat should offer, at the very least, a little cushion in the foot bed.

Some ballet flats are leather, others are suede, so it's important to keep that in mind before you buy. Leather will be better suited for all weather. Yes, suede ballet flats are awesome, but they aren't so great when you're dodging puddles in pouring rain. Keep in mind, also, that some ballet flats do come with extra padding to allow for longer wear. And, just because you spend more, this doesn't always mean you get better quality.

One other suggestion, from a long-time ballet flats wearer: Check the fit very, very carefully. IF the ballet flat feels at all tight, it's a bad sign (yes it might loosen a tiny bit with wear, but it might not). A too-tight ballet flat is bad news: You'll wind up rotating your brand new had-to-have-them shoes to the back of your closet, where they'll sit, collecting dust, for years. Also: See how the ballet flat feels on your heel. Walk a lot in them before you buy, and if you feel them rubbing the back of your heel, put them back and walk away. Heel blisters are a really common problem with ballet flats -- and if the rubbing has already started in the store, or the first time you wear them, send them back, or be prepared to invest in a boat load of Band-aids and/or heel liners (which usually work really well, by the way).

Enjoy this list of the best ballet flats! I've tried to include a wide variety of different brands and, consequently, different price points. Prices vary wildly on ballet flats - so the chances are, at least some of these will be within your budget.