Battle of the Flats

You must have seen them: the foldable flats in little pouches, begging to be slipped in your purse when you begin the night in unreasonable shoes... the promise of comfort after a night of dancing ‘til your dogs are barking something fierce. I’ve only ever found them in odd places (like airports), but I recently came across two different kinds and I thought I would have a foldable flats face-off so you know which pair is more likely to be your shiny little savior next you reach for those four-inchers!

First up, Sidekicks:



I saw these in my local Hallmark (Candy’s Hallmark in Wayne). They come in four colors (black, pink, silver, and gold) in a 4.5” by 6.25” zip top pouch with the Sidekicks logo on one corner. I picked up the large size, which promised to fit shoe sizes between 8.5 and 9.5. They have elastic around the foot opening, a bow at the toe, a textured black rubber sole, and a nice soft black and tan insole.

Verdict: comfy! That soft insole is really fantastic. I might go one size up—this size does satisfactorily fit my size 9.5 feet, but I could see the outline of my toes pretty clearly at the top of the shoe.

Next up, Hollywood Fashionista Flats:


These I found at my local Jo-Ann Fabrics (in the Gateway Shopping Center in Wayne), and they come in gold, silver, and black. The 5” by 7” pouch zips around three sides, is the color of the shoes inside, and has the logo across one side. Get this—once unzipped, the clutch morphs into a tote bag! There’s a nylon lining that unfolds, and the leathery clutch becomes the bottom of the tote. The shoe outer has elastic only around the heel, the soles have a grooved herringbone pattern in tan, and the insole is fuzzy black and white. There were no sizes listed other than small through extra large, so I figured because I was a large in the Sidekicks I’d pick up a large here too, in silver.

Verdict: These fit my feet a little better than the Sidekicks, but I was not a fan of the elastic just around the heel. I also can’t see myself using the tote bag feature—if I’m carrying the bag in clutch form, I’m already carrying a bag to hold the clutch as well as my other things, and the bag I’m already carrying is probably more stylish than a nylon tote. The shoes themselves are perfectly satisfactory, so if you like the tote feature, this should be the pair for you!

So which pair am I keeping? I’m going to go get me one size up of the Sidekicks! (Not a Main Liner? You can get both the Sidekicks and the Hollywood Fashionista Flats on Amazon.)