Blake Brody launches good-for-your-feet flats that are actually cute

In general, the sexier a shoe is, the more it squeezes your toes, pinches your heels, and makes you contort your body into all kinds of unnatural postural positions. And flats are often the worst, because you expect a relieving break from heels—and instead get blisters.

Workout-studio shoe innovator Blake Brody wants to change that with her new line of Ballerinas, her first collection meant to be worn on the way home from—not during—barre class. “We’d always planned on making outdoor footwear, but we were focused on getting In-Studio Footwear right,” says Brody. “We now maintain a focus on movement, wellness, and foot health throughout the entire day, no matter where you are.”

The Ballerinas, made with recycled, vegan materials, come in three styles, each of which is available in a few different color and fabric combinations, like Sapphire “Lizard” with gray faux leather or Onyx Tweed with black patent.

And Brody designed them with Louis Galli, M.D., the podiatrist to the Rockettes, to build in a suite of healthy features like a lifted heel and padded arch support, so that your subway commute home doesn’t undo the alignment you worked so hard for during Pilates. You can really feel the difference as soon you slip them on, and they stay comfy throughout the day. If only we could find some heels that felt this good, too. —Lisa Elaine Held

For more information, visit www.blakebrody.com