Skinny Jeans for Not Super Skinny People...and Shoes I Never Thought I'd Wear

Flats. Flat shoes. I now own a pair and wore them today to a daytime wedding service.

The picture doesn't do them justice. These canvas Nomad flats are very adorable in person and comfy. And for $5 on sale at Marshall's I was very willing to make the investment.

Part of what makes me "little and lovely" is that I'm just over five feet tall. Since I'm short and not a size 00 (despite manufacturers thinking that 'petite' either means skin and bones/AA cup or dowdy grandma), I didn't think flat shoes were for me. I didn't think skinny jeans were either, however a recently acquired pair of those changed my mind too.

I hadn't been in Delia's much since high school but decided to try something on there a few weeks ago while walking through with a friend. I have an hour-glass figure and am wary of clothes potentially tailored for juniors sizes with no hips. These Morgan jeans actually fit like a charm the moment I tried them, however.

What I like about them:

• Dark wash. They come in other colors but I just adore dark denim.
• Enough sizes: 'petite,' 'long,' 'regular' and 'short.' I'm not certain what makes 'short' and 'petite' different - I assume leg length versus altered proportions - but the latter is what worked for me.
• Not super skinny which just is not my style. In fact, they have a nice line that accentuates the slimness of my legs and makes them look longer. Meaning I look taller and slimmer.
• Sturdy yet comfy material.
• Attractive without overly obnoxious stitching/details.

They are also only an inch or so too long for me! (I expect this from most pant legs since I'm on the shorter side of petite. An inch isn't bad for me...) The little extra length makes them great with shoes with a little heel because why would a short girl ever wear flats?

Oh, um, yeah. Because as my friend pointed out: you can't wear athletic sneakers with skinny jeans. Heck, she doesn't like athletic sneakers with any jeans...which is basically my wardrobe, plus tee shirts. The fact that the beloved sneaks I wear almost every day are getting pretty beat up also made me think it was time to get some new shoe options. And it feels like an unusually hot New York summer so something light-weight was also an important point. Not more sneakers though! Despite how I love them...

Thus, a $5 price tag inspired me to take a chance on some adorable, feminine, non-sneaker, summer-appropriate flats. For a short girl. (I also love polka-dots, that was really the factor that pushed me over the edge with the purchase.) The great thing is that with the skirt I wore to the service today they looked great. It is a white, peasant-style skirt that falls just below the knee with little eyelet flowers along the bottom. I can't find a picture but I got it at the Gap a summer or two...or three ago. It would look good with heels but also looks cute with flats, and shows enough leg to be stylish but low-key. I also wore a red tank top and a medium blue short-sleeved cardigan over it. Wearing something besides jeans and I tee shirt felt really nice for a change.

So I'm slowly working towards embracing flats. For summer, for certain occasions, for outfits with which running sneakers would look really horrible.

By the way, the bride was absolutely stunning. For my part, I'm mostly glad I just looked decent and not like a wreck for her big day. But I'm a few years away from thinking too much about my wedding gown...!