Can’t wear heels? When it comes to shopping for vintage and retro flat shoes, the options seem few and far between. Low heel and no heel flat shoes did exist, mostly as casual shoes such as Oxfords, saddle shoes, and sports shoes like Keds or plimsolls. For formal wear, a basic pair of low heel pumps never went out of style. It wasn’t until the late 50s and 1960s that flats became the favored style, starting with black ballet flats and pointed toe flats which are back in fashion now. Learn more about vintage flats with our article here.
Each decade had a flat shoe style they favored:
- 1920s flat shoes: T straps, Mary Janes, Oxfords, lace up ghillies
- 1930s flat shoes: Oxfords, Mary Janes
- 1940s flat shoes: low wedges, Oxfords, sport shoes, bow pumps, loafers
- 1950s flat shoes: pointed toe flats, black ballet flats, sport shoes (Keds), pumps, slippers, loafers, moccasins
- 1960s flat shoes: Almost all shoes, even boots, were flats
We browsed online and found all these great retro vintage flat shoes perfect for each decade:
Vintage Flats and Low Heel Shoes