Karlie Kloss Proves That Flats Can Be Just as Cute as Stilletos With a Cocktail Dress

Whether you’re supermodel-tall and shy away from wearing heels that add extra inches or just love being comfy, you can make flats work for formal events. At 6’1″, Karlie Kloss is a statuesque beauty who wears her fair share of gorgeous stilettos and heels, but she also likes to throw stylish flats into the red-carpet mix. See how she does it:

At this summer’s Serpentine Gallery party in London she skipped sleek pumps in favor of funky black sandals that wouldn’t look off if paired with cutoffs and a tee. Her bright orange dress is by Stella McCartney.

At a Chanel dinner, she looked very much like a cool Parisienne in a pair of ballet flats. Her Chanel dress would have looked just as posh with a pair of sleek stilettos or playful heels, but the ease of simple skimmers works brilliantly too.

Her floor-sweeping Diane von Furstenberg gown made it tough to spot her footwear at this year’s CFDA awards, but peek closer—those are metallic silver flats she’s got on. Unlike the soft leather ballerinas she wore to the Chanel dinner, the pointed toe and shine of this pair make them feel up to the challenge of taking on the more formal dress.

The key take-aways from Karlie’s styling?

Your dress shouldn’t be overly embellished or glaringly sexy if you want to rock flats. A low-cut, heavily sequined dress requires fancier feeling heels to match its formal vibe.

Pick simple, fairly under-the-radar shoes. Think of them as merely finishing off the look rather than stealing all the attention (keep those styles for super-simple weekend-ready jeans that need an extra punch). And, for the final guideline, avoid sporty-influenced sandals when at a red-carpet-worthy event. We love our Birkenstocks and thick, comfy-soled slides, but they make for an incongruous fit with party clothes.

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Plus, watch Karlie deliver the September issue of Glamour: