Roll-up flats are the latest trend in transitional footwear, providing comfortable and affordable footwear for women who have tired of their heels after hours at the office or dancing the night away in a club. No more barefoot mavens dancing on gross club floors or walking down dangerous city streets. Spare tires for your feet, if you will, these clever little flats are little more than a glorified house slipper. They aren’t meant for extensive wear, however, and they do bring peace of mind to the one-hour-stiletto-warrior and most women living and working in walking cities. Shoedish has tested a few of the brands. City Slips, footzyrolls, and Soleil. There are a few others we’d love to see, like Rollasole, a UK company who sells in the US, but are currently out of stock. Arguably the first of the roll-up flats brands, Rollasole can be purchased from vending machines inside many clubs in the UK. Cool! Overall we think it’s a fabulous idea; here are a few of the pros and cons for those we’ve tested so far.
footzyrolls - These roll-up flats come in the best packaging, from gift box to roll-up and transitional bag. They’re also the most compact when rolled up. footzyrolls comes in a ton of colors, from shimmers to nuetrals and they have roll-up flip flops as well. Of all the flats we tested, footzyrolls seemed to be made with the highest quality materials. They’re also, however, the most expensive.
Soleil - Soleil has similar packaging to footzyrolls and while the sole is slightly thicker, it’s almost identical in material and texture to footzyrolls. Soleil’s roll-up flat has elastic in the neck, unlike footzyrolls and City Slips, making the shoes feel more snug and secure on the foot, though this could be a problem if you’re on the higher end of the size spectrum.
City Slips - The flat from City Slips does not compact or “roll-up” in the same manner as Soleil or footzyrolls, though this seems hardly noticeable after usage. The sole is made up of two islands on the heel and pad of the foot and is thicker, which makes it more comfortable for longer commutes. Though not their original purpose, City Slips could actually pass for a casual ballerina flat. City Slips does have another version of the roll-up flat, After Slips, which we have not seen yet in person.
*There are a bunch of companies flocking to the roll-up flats movement and we’ll continue to follow it is at unrolls. Over the next few months we’ll be running Shoeflicks on several of the brands featured in this article. We also have an exciting Giveaway scheduled just in town for Back-to-School! In the meantime, we’ll be sure to get you the 411 on those we’ve yet to encounter.
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