The Perfect Black Flat

It seems that the most basic wardrobe essentials are often hardest to find, often resulting in a life-long, grail-like search for that perfect, wear-with-everything, something. We usually end up unsatisfied, having settled for something that's almost what we had in mind.

The perfect black flat is a particularly wily and elusive specimen. My best option thus far has been a Marc by Marc Jacobs satin ballerina version that once featured crisscrossing elastic ribbons, until, in a fit of exasperation, I performed a spur-of-the-moment surgery with scissors (I felt that they looked a bit too "Heidi.") I've since worn them into the ground and scuffed them into a sorry state of disrepair, and I wasn't looking forward to the search for a substitute. I couldn't believe my luck when I found an even better replacement, which also happened to be on sale.

Maloles flats usually run upwards of $250, but this black velvet style is on sale for $78 @ Shopbop. Hurry! They'll go fast.
Photo credit: www.shopbop.com