How to wear flat shoes with dresses: 5 chic outfits to copy

Despite what Sex and the City had us believe, you don’t need to wear heels to look smart and stylish, and we have the proof. Here are five dresses and flat shoes outfit combinations from fashion’s chicest street stylers that prove the staying power of comfortable footwear.

1. Dresses + ballet flats

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Olivia Palermo and model Alek Wek show how wearing ballet flats (preferably the Jimmy Choo variety) can look incredibly chic. A pointed toe or patent finish is key to this look, and the flat sole allows you to do a shorter dress length. And after their incredible comeback over the last year it’s safe to say they are also a great choice when it comes to trendy footwear.

Russell & Bromley

CARDEN Womens Pink Leather Pearl Detail Ballerina

Delivery: Delivery costs apply

£250.00

Russell & Bromley

-45%

Stuart Weitzman

Mary Jane GOLDIE Ballet Flats with Decorative Pearls size 39

Delivery: £10.92

£190.20 ~~£345.82~~

GLAMOOD

Russell & Bromley

CHARMING Womens Brown & Black Leather Quilted Ballet Pump

Delivery: Delivery costs apply

£250.00

Russell & Bromley

Coach

Flat With Crystals Black

Delivery: Delivery costs apply

£195.00

Coach

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2. Combat boots

Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images

Pair a romantic dress with cool worker boots – the perfect way to add an effortless edge to your evening dresses.

-45%

Diesel

Leather HAMMER Combat Booties with Logoed Toe size 40

Delivery: £10.92

£276.88 ~~£503.41~~

GLAMOOD

Russell & Bromley

HENLOW Cleated Lace Up Ankle Boot Red

Delivery: Delivery costs apply

£325.00

Russell & Bromley

-50%

Woolrich

Textured Leather WORK BOOT Combat Boots with Zip size 5,5

Delivery: £10.92

£126.95 ~~£253.89~~

GLAMOOD

-45%

Tory Burch

Leather DOUBLE-T Combat Booties with Inner Zip size 36,5

Delivery: £10.92

£255.21 ~~£464.01~~

GLAMOOD

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3. Sneakers

BERLIN, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 07: Lois Opoku wearing a black leather jacket, a black dress and sneakers on September 07, 2021 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images)

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Berlin-based blogger Lois Opoku reminds us that everything looks cool with sneakers, even an oversized leather blazer paired with a cool t-shirt dress.

BESTSELLER

Asics

Gel-1130 White/Silver/Pink sneakers

Delivery: £10.00

£132.00

FARFETCH

UGG

Lowmel Chestnut sneakers - Brown

Delivery: £10.00

£152.00

FARFETCH

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Nike Jordan

Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG First in Flight sneakers - Blue

Delivery: £10.00

£104.00

FARFETCH

Coach

logo-detail mesh sneakers - Neutrals Beige

Delivery: £10.00

£195.00

FARFETCH

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4. Biker boots

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 11: Allie Michler of Vogue wears a white blouse, blue jeans, and black flats at the Thom Browne show on September 11, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Melodie Jeng/Getty Images)

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Vogue’s Market Editor Allie Michler is the epitome of looking chic without trying too hard in this always-cool combo of a white blouse, blue jeans, and black ballet flats.

Russell & Bromley

CARDEN Womens Black Leather Pearl Detail Ballerina

Delivery: Delivery costs apply

£250.00

Russell & Bromley

Coach

Flat With Crystals Black

Delivery: Delivery costs apply

£195.00

Coach

Tory Burch

Womens Cap-Toe Quilted Ballet, size 6.5 White

Delivery: free

£285.00

Tory Burch

Womens Double T Buckle Mary Jane, size 7.5 Black

Delivery: free

£330.00

Tory Burch

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5. Investment sandals

BERLIN, GERMANY - JULY 25: Tina Haase is seen wearing Nanushka dress in creme white, Jil Sander flats in black, Jacquemus bag, Chanel sunglasses on July 25, 2021 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images)

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German content creator Tina Hasse is the push we need to finally invest in a good quality pair of summer sandals. Her style of choice? A pair of slides from Jil Sander.