Guides

Mary Janes vary in two main ways: by strap style and by material, and once you understand both, matching a type to an occasion becomes almost automatic. Below, the types of Mary Janes worth knowing...

  There is a particular stretch of early childhood packed with firsts: a first birthday party, a first day of daycare, a first pair of shoes that has to survive both. Choosing a Mary Jane for toddl...

What makes a shoe a Mary Jane? A Mary Jane is defined by one thing above everything else: the strap. Here is what to look for. Rounded or slightly square toe: softer than a pointed flat. Flat or...

A Mary Jane looks simple. A low shoe, a strap, a rounded toe. We have looked at this same silhouette for twelve years now, in every material we can get our hands on, and it still surprises us how d...

  People say Mary Janes, ballet flats, and ballerinas as though they are all the same shoe. They are not, and once you know what to look for, the difference between Mary Janes and ballet flats is e...