Jolie laide (or pretty-ugly)

I love the French-- they manage to make a back-handed compliment sound enchanting. I am trying to branch out from ballet flats, and lately I have become obsessed with slightly ugly shoes. I'm not talking extremely unattractive (i.e. high-heeled gladiator sandals or peep-toe ankle boots). Right now I'm attracted to shoes that are very low-key, almost dowdy, plain, and a bit clunky. Just this side of flattering:


Those ARE little star-shaped cut outs on the sides. I love the combination of girlish/mannish. Not sure I could pull these off with a skirt-- they might be too high-cut on the ankle.


These may be a bit too orthopedic-- I think the white heel saves them.

These are too pretty! Not sure how these ended up here. I just love them. I wish they didn't cost $300. Why?


Now here's a dowdy shoe. Unadorned. Clunky heel. Love it.


I may actually die without these. I have a pair of ankle boots with 4.5" heels. I can wear them for about 10 minutes. These look perfect.