
In our biweekly series, editors share the item so versatile, so chic, so comfortable that they wear it over and over and over again—whether it be a basic white tee or a super-trendy jumpsuit. Prepare yourself (and your credit card) for some guilt-free shopping.
My personal style can best be described as "barely holding it together." Black sweaters that won't show food stains, dark-wash skinny jeans that go with everything, collared button-down shirts to show that I tried—everything I own is low-key, earth-toned, and unlikely to crease, tear, or stain. So when a friend gifted me a pair of hot-pink Rothy's pointed-toe flats (opens in new tab), the shoes famously made from plastic bottles and beloved by Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) and Emma Roberts, I was...intimidated. I'm not a "pretty hot pink shoe" kind of person. I'm barely a "can dress herself in the morning" kind of person.
But the moment I slipped on this shoe I—much like Cinderella—was transformed. More specifically, my work uniform (opens in new tab) was transformed. The addition of a bright, sophisticated flat to my otherwise funereal attire had a magic effect—it created the illusion that I'd planned my outfit around the shoe, like my wardrobe of neutrals was designed to better show off the scene-stealing pointed toe flat.
So of course I felt good in these flats. But, as my mom reminds me with alarming frequency, just because I feel good does not mean that I'm dressed for the occasion. (If I could, I'd wear jeans to my own wedding.) Yet whenever I slipped on these shoes, whether I was going to brunch, the office, or the dog park, the compliments rolled in: Oh wow, I love those pink shoes! (More than once, someone pointed to their own feet and squealed, "Matching Rothy's!") As for my mother, a woman regularly horrified by my commitment to casual wear over all else, she considers my pink shoes manna from heaven.
And though I'm not not enjoying the compliments, the reason I keep returning to these neon beauties is because they're so damn comfy. My flats began life as water bottles, a material hardly known for its comfort level, yet now they feel like snug house slippers. Proof: Even when I stopped going into the office in light of COVID-19 restrictions, I kept wearing these shoes. I mean, Meghan Markle literally wore them to the beach instead of flip-flops. (opens in new tab) Behold:
Meghan in her Rothy’s.
To the beach?, I hear you say. Well, in the perfect lazy-girl hack, these flats are designed to be tossed in the washing machine and cleaned that way. (Word to the wise: Do not throw them in the dryer afterwards. Thankfully, the shoes stretched back out after a few wears, but please learn from my mistakes.)
At $145, these are more expensive than your average pair of flats, but unlike the "dressy" or "casual" binary that separates most, this is the shoe that can do both. I wore my black pair hidden under a long dress to a wedding (they're that comfy) and then with pants at the post-wedding brunch the next day (they're that pretty). I have The Point in pink, black, and navy, and as long as it isn't freezing cold out, you can find me wearing them:
I probably haven't filled you up with confidence in regards to the rest of my fashion sense, but that's okay. Buy the flats and send me photos of how one builds a non-neutral outfit around them. My mom will be ever so grateful.
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Jenny is the Director of Content Strategy at Marie Claire. Originally from London, she moved to New York in 2012 to attend the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and never left. Prior to Marie Claire, she spent five years at Bustle building out its news and politics coverage. She loves, in order: her dog, goldfish crackers, and arguing about why umbrellas are fundamentally useless. Her first novel, EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD, will be published by Minotaur Books in 2024.
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