J.Crew: Jenna's Picks - Bamboo Tassel Ballet Flats

The first of Jenna's Picks that is up for discussion are the Bamboo-Tassel Ballet Flats (item #15444), which retail for $158.  They are catalog and website only.

The perfect pair to add a little extra pep to your step in pretty new prints, just in time for summer. Silk (sweet papaya), cotton (papaya) or linen (navy) upper with grosgrain trim and a bamboo toggle bead. Twill lining. Leather footbed and sole. Made in Italy. Catalog/jcrew.com only.

This shoe comes in three different colors: sweet papaya, navy, and papaya (left to right), and each color is made out of a different fabric..  I have only ever ordered one pair of J.Crew ballet flats, and either I accidentally ordered the wrong size, or they sent me the wrong size (I think the former), and I'm on the fence about them.

It's really hard for me to make any kind of judgment on size, since mine are the wrong size, but my issue with the flats is that they are a little too unstructured for me.  My flats are a fabric flat, and I the footbed is a little narrower than I like.  That doesn't mean that the shoe itself is too narrow, but I don't feel like the footbed supports your entire foot (if that makes sense).  I'm not sure if having them in the right size would make a huge difference, but I prefer my flats to have a bit more support in them.

That said, I think the pattern is really cute, although I'm not the biggest fan of the papaya color.  I do like the other two colors, though.  My biggest issue with these flats is the price - I think $158 is a lot of money to spend on a pair of flats, especially because these seem almost too cute to wear.  I know that I would not get as much use out of these as I would like for a $158 pair of flats.

What do you think?  Do you like these flats?  What do you think of J.Crew's flats in general?  How much would you spend on a pair of flats?

Jenna's Picks: May 2009

Like Jenna's previous round of picks, I'll be going through her May picks one-by-one.  Interestingly, the e-mail J.Crew sent around about Jenna's picks is a little different from the picks shown online (there are more online).  I wonder why they sent around a modified version?  Either way, I'll be posting based on the longer list of picks, so keep an eye out for them, starting soon!