One cannot deny that shoes are essential to everything we wear (it's not like you're schlepping around in socks everywhere)! When you wake up in the morning, you might slide your feet into some cozy slippers. After getting ready for work or school, you'll throw on a pair of , , or sandals, depending on the weather. Maybe you want to work out in the afternoon, so you change into some .

There are just a of shoe styles out there. To make the extensive list digestible for you, we've broken footwear into three categories: flat shoes, heeled shoes, and boots. While there is a lot of cross-over between these categories, this list will provide a solid foundation for understanding the different styles out there, because we care about you and your online shopping vocab needs.

Oh, and while we're on the topic, you might as well check out our to see exactly what's trending this season! Flat Shoes Let's begin with flat shoes, shall we? This category consists of flat dress shoes like or , as well as, sneakers, and sandals. There's a lot of variation when it comes to flat shoe styles, so you can typically wear them at any time of the year and for any occasion. They tend to be very comfortable to wear for long hours, and some styles even feature supportive soles for extra comfort! Ballet Flats are a style of flat shoe that resemble the ones ballerinas wear.

They vary in style, however it's common to see a little bow on the top like these flats pictured here. Ballet flats have been a shoe tre.