The One Pair Of Shoes You Need For Rainy Days

New York seems to be taking the phrase "April showers bring May flowers" seriously right now, with most days bringing some sort of rain, whether it's a light sprinkle in the morning or a downpour that starts right when I'm leaving my house. Besides having an umbrella on hand at all times, I'm all about the waterproof shoes for my daily commute. But as much as I love my Hunters, wearing them back and forth to work when the weather is warming up is a little uncomfortable. That's why when I discovered the one pair of shoes you need for rainy day commutes, I was sold.

So what are the shoes? They're called FlipSlips, and the premise behind creating them was making the "world's best travel shoes." High expectations, right? They're basic ballet flats that come with three different ankle straps (one of which is reversible), so you can actually wear them five different ways. They're designed to be water-resistant and super lightweight because they're made with Neoprene, the same material that's used to make scuba suits. And the best part? They fold onto themselves and fasten shut using the ankle straps so that they stay clean. Totally genius.

Flip Slips in Black, $78, Flip Slips

These shoes were actually funded through a Kickstarter, and backers realized the potential of the shoes. Here's a demo of hold they fold up and keep your bag clean:

The FitSlips Kickstarter page also shows all the colors the shoes come in — beyond black, they also come in white, red, orange, yellow, green blue and purple, if bright colors are more your style.

Although the company has shoes in all those colors, it's only shipping black flats so far. If you can't wait until June (when the other colors will ship) to get your hands on a pair, here are a few alternatives in the meantime.

Women's Original Tour Ballet Flats, $125, Hunter Boots

Love the water-resistant aspect of the FlipSlips? Waterproof Hunter flats will keep your feet nice and dry.

Geox New Club Water Resistant Slip-On Sneaker, $130, Nordstrom

If sport is more your style, these slip-on sneakers will do the job.

Coastal Rain Skimmers, $79, L.L. Bean

Love the preppy look of L.L. Bean boots but find they're a little clunky? These flats are a perfect alternative.

Ballasox by Corso Como Ballet Flat, $50, Amazon

These reasonably priced flats will fold up nice and small, so you can easily throw them into your bag when you're at work.

Tieks in Matte Black, $175, Tieks

One of the original folding flats, Tieks are insanely popular. This basic black pair isn't cheap, but it'll last forever.

Although it looks like rainy days are here to stay for awhile, with these shoes your commute will be a little less painful.

Images: Courtesy of Brands