Okay, so I’ve been seeing this “edgy ballet flats” thing pop up. At first, I kinda rolled my eyes, you know? Like, ballet flats are… well, ballet flats. Sweet, maybe a bit preppy. How edgy can they really get? But then I kept seeing pictures, flats with studs, or chains, or just a darker vibe, and I thought, alright, maybe there’s something here. I wasn’t about to drop a bunch of cash on a trendy pair, though. Seemed like something I could probably tackle myself.
Figuring It Out
First thing I did was dig through my closet. Found an old pair of black faux leather flats. They were perfectly fine, just kinda boring. Wore them maybe twice. Perfect candidates for this little experiment. I figured studs were the easiest route. Seemed simple enough to just stick ’em on. Maybe some small chains too? I wasn’t sure, wanted to keep it simple first time around.
Getting The Bits
So, off I went to the craft store. Man, those places can be overwhelming. Found the aisle with all the little metal bits for clothes and bags. Grabbed a pack of those pyramid studs, the kind you push through and bend the prongs on the back. Seemed less messy than glue. Got silver ones. Also picked up a small packet of tiny silver spike studs, just in case the pyramids looked too clunky. Didn’t bother with chains yet, decided to start with just studs.
The Actual Doing Part
Got home, cleared off a bit of the kitchen table. Laid out the flats and the studs. First, I wiped down the flats, get any dust off them.
Okay, decision time. Where to put the studs? I thought about:
- Just along the top edge, near the opening.
- Maybe a pattern on the toe cap?
- All over? Nah, too much work and probably uncomfortable.
I settled on putting the pyramid studs evenly spaced around the opening edge. Seemed classic punk-ish, easy enough. I used a ruler (okay, eyeballed it mostly) to get the spacing kinda right. Pushing the prongs through the faux leather was tougher than I thought. Needed to use a thimble to save my thumb. Poked one through, flipped the shoe over, bent the little metal prongs flat on the inside with some small pliers. Made sure they were really flat so they wouldn’t scratch my feet later. Ouch.
Did the first shoe. Took longer than expected. My spacing wasn’t perfect, but hey, “edgy” doesn’t mean perfect, right? That’s what I told myself. It looked… okay. Definitely different. Then I did the second shoe to match, trying to get the spacing a bit better this time.
The Reveal and Test Run
Alright, both shoes done. Held them up. Yeah, they definitely weren’t the boring flats they used to be. The silver studs against the black gave them that bit of toughness I was aiming for. Not over the top, but noticeable.
The real test: wearing them. I slipped them on. First thought: gotta check inside for scratchy prongs. Ran my finger around – mostly okay, one or two spots felt a little rough, bent those down more. Walked around the house. They felt like regular flats, just heavier. The studs didn’t really affect the comfort much, which was a relief.
Wore them out to grab coffee later that week with just jeans and a black t-shirt. Felt kinda cool, actually. Like a little secret edge to an otherwise simple outfit. Didn’t get any compliments or weird looks, which is fine by me. They just felt more me than the plain ones did.
Final Thoughts
So, was it worth the effort? Yeah, I think so. Took maybe an hour, cost next to nothing since I had the shoes already, and I ended up with a unique pair of flats. It was a simple little project, easy to do. Might even add some of those tiny spikes to the toe cap later if I get bored again. For now, happy with my slightly edgy, definitely not boring anymore, ballet flats.
