By: Nicole Alvarado
Oh my god, shoes. Hello. My name is Nicole Alvarado and I am an Amazon. At any given moment, I am one of the tallest people in the room. I’m no basketball player, but give me a pair of pumps and it doesn’t matter how glamorous I feel, I will still tower over almost every person in the room. The beautiful thing about fashion on campus is that one of its most popular trends is very forgiving of girls with similar predicaments to my own.
Flats are cute, trendy and constantly changing to adapt to the season. Cut-out toes present the perfect amount of toe cleavage for the summer and the spring. As the semester begins to cool down, girls should opt for more “sealed” versions of their warmer-weather counterparts. Winter often conjures up images of charcoal peacoats and dark denim - I don’t know what it is, but I think we as a society think that the darker the color is, the more likely the fabric is to keep the cold out … not true, obviously. If you are one of the many who subconsciously subscribes to this notion (it’s hard to care about fashion when you’re more worried about things like whether your fingers will still be intact after riding your bike to class), check out the new, loud designs from Oscar de la Renta, Christian Louboutin and Pucci.
The shape of the ballet flat is classic enough to carry extravagant designs and loud add-ons like buckles, silk flowers and cut-outs. The basic black will go a long way and is versatile enough to wear every day or to a job interview, but when it’s time to go out, metallic finishes and out-of-the-norm textures like velveteen and vinyl go a long way.
The best part about the “flat” trend is how convenient it is. As college students, fashion is important to some, but I doubt it tops the list of any 18- to 24-year-old attending the university. Flats can be worn any day, every day, with everything. They’re comfortable, which is important considering the average Texas A&M student probably logs 1-2 miles a day just walking around campus. You can dress them up or down. A pair of jeans gains instant class when there is the visible quilted print of Chanel flats peeking out from beneath the hem, and Steve Madden’s flats have a distinctive quality, usually coming in a shiny or crinkled print.
In keeping with the comfy/casual/cheap/chic/college-student theme, not everyone can afford Louboutin or Madden shoes. Target has adorable knock-offs for affordable prices. Jessica Simpson recently released a line of shoes that carry many different styles, including animal prints and flats with silver threads. Department stores carry a wide variety of flats ranging in price from Coach brand to Mossimo Cheap and Chic.
