As long as I can remember, I’ve been a bit particular when it comes to shoes. I only wear traditional sneakers when I go to the gym, but I also never buy shoes with a heel over two inches. This gives me a narrower window of certain styles of shoes, like ballet flats, kitten-heel sandals, low-heel pumps, loafers, knee-high boots, and Mary Janes.

Recently, my aunt texted me saying: “I need cute comfy shoes that are closed toe. Any idea?” My mind immediately went to Camper’s Casi Myra, which I’ve been wearing the last couple of years and are still going strong. I told her, “My Camper flats are my favorite. And then I have a pair of Naturalizer Mary Janes I randomly got that I wear with tights or socks, and vintage pairs from Merrell and Nike Air x Cole Haan from eBay. I see people on TikTok vouch for Sam Edelman ballet flats, too.”