What friulane are and how to wear them
A friulana is the flat shoe with a fabric upper, a thin sole and a soft fit, without the rigid counter that stiffens the heel of a structured shoe. Across the shoes available on this page the upper is velvet and the sole is rubber on every model: that is the combination that lets you wear them outdoors, because rubber grips wet asphalt far better than a smooth bottom. The insole is fabric too, and the shoe stays light.
A 1 centimetre heel is the lowest measurement a shoe can have and still be a shoe. Every model in stock stops at that height: the foot lands flat, no weight shifts onto the forefoot, and that is why a friulana can be worn for hours without the fatigue a heel brings. Anyone who needs support under the arch should think twice, because a thin sole lets you feel the ground.
Two fastenings sit side by side in this selection. Most models have a strap across the instep, which holds the shoe and stops the heel slipping off as you walk; the others are slip-on, with no fastening at all, and fit more loosely. The toe changes too: round on most models, pointed on the rest, a shape that visually lengthens the foot.
Velvet is a pile fabric and it cleans differently from leather. A soft brush worked in the direction of the pile lifts dust without crushing it; water, by contrast, dries to a tidemark, so a stain is better blotted from the outside inwards than soaked. The pile also governs how the colour reads: the same shade looks darker or lighter depending on how the light strikes it. If you are looking for other flat shoes, the full range sits in the women's ballet flats category.
A flat fabric shoe works where a structured shoe feels heavy. A friulana goes with trousers that clear the ankle, with a long skirt and with an evening dress when a heel is not wanted, and it is one of the few shoes you can slip into a bag and change into on arrival. It is also why it beats a leather ballet flat in winter: fabric is not cold on first contact.
