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I was thrilled when I purchased a pair of ballet flats at the Nordstrom Half-Yearly sale.  Of course, I went for the boring black - but boring black was much needed!  I wore them everyday for a week and felt like I was floating on air...

but then...

I wore them while I was walking around all day at the museums and I came home with achy-breaky feet!  What appears to be a real comfortable shoe had my feet hurting for days.  They're flat! Why do I feel like I paraded around town in five inch heels?  Well, I should have known better.  These darn shoes have no support whatsoever. 

Scarpediem over at Shoesense tells us how she shops for ballet flats:

"In order to avoid some of the pitfalls of ballet flats, I gravitate toward a skimmer/ballet hybrid. My first rule is to avoid any kind of ankle-straps attached to the flats (mimicking the actual ballet flats used by dancers)--I don't need them, and they do nothing for my ankles and calves. I've also learnt my lesson and avoid super-low cut vamps--they're not comfortable, and don't stay on your feet that well. Finally, I try to get at least a 1/2 to 1 inch of stacked heel, for good measure and for a little support. (I guess at this point the term "ballet flats" becomes really murky. Oh well.)"

May I add that if you do happen to buy ballet flats without arch support, I recommend just purchasing a pair of Dr. Scholl inserts.  Problem solved!