A Case for…Oxfords for Girls

The only thing I’m more over than the ballet flat is James Franco, so I am fully embracing the slightly masculine lace-up. Added bonus: If you’re wearing something menswear-inspired on your feet, you worry less about whether your skirt is too short. These are the eight pairs I’d own if a had a shoe closet (and budget) like Sally Singer’s. —erica

1) Rachel Comey Nimbus lace-ups (at Bird): They’re ombré, but in a just-trekked-through-the-woods way.
2) Osborn Dust to Dust oxfords: If brogues and Toms were set up by a mutual friend, hit it off (surprisingly!), and had twins, this is what they’d look like.
3) Thorocraft The Ross shoes: Totally seasonless, they’d mesh with wispy skirts and cable-knit sweaters.
4) Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair Normal leather shoe (at Azalea): Normal? Please.

FACT: Oxfords, which originated in Scotland, were initially called Balmorals after a castle in Aberdeenshire—the one the Queen was staying at when Princess Diana died.

5) Opening Ceremony M17 Bump Toe Western oxford: They’re just country enough to earn respect without sacrificing mainstream appeal.
6) Robert Clergerie Two Tone oxford (at La Garconne): These would look fantastic with menswear tweeds—and something lacy.
7) Marais USA oxfords: Very off-duty model (and very $88).
8) Dieppa Restrepo Cali shoes (at Totokaelo): Let’s just say I wore my pair yesterday.

FACT: The oldest shoe with laces, the Areni-1, was uncovered in Armenia in 2008. According to tests at radiocarbon laboratories in California and, um, Oxford, it dates back to 3,500 B.C.