Margaux also counts Luisana Mendoza de Roccia, co-founder of Maisonette, and Nell Diamond, Hill House Home’s founder, as converts. “But they held up so well that I order a pair each year now,” she says. She initially thought the style would be too sophisticated - with its grosgrain trim and little bow - to last through her work in the studio and running around playgrounds. But it was Chloe Varelidi, founder of the play-set label Follies, who name-checked the Demi. In the making of this list, Margaux - the start-up shoe brand with a decidedly French flair - came up three times. So we asked the super-stylish among us - including fashion-brand founders, designers, and stylists - for their recommendations. But being the Strategist, we took it upon ourselves to find the best black flats under $200. Considering how much wear you can get out of a pair of black flats, an ultraluxe pair may seem like a justifiable splurge. But like all basics, the sheer number of options you have - from Alexa Chung–approved Repettos to The Row’s minimalist mary janes - makes finding the right pair all the more difficult. meeting, a quick lunch with work friends, or dinner with your real friends before you go out dancing until 2 a.m (if you’re so inclined). You can slip right into them for a 9 a.m.

Somehow, wherever and whenever you wear them, flats will work.

That’s exactly what makes them such an essential (alongside the classic button-down or turtleneck). Somewhere between heels and sneakers on the footwear-formality scale are flats.

Pointed black flats