Flats with a tapered toe are lovely and sophisticated. Ballet flats have their place, but when you need a low-heeled shoe for an evening out on the town, round toes can sometimes make the outfit too casual. I visited SaksFifthAvenue.com to do some comparison window shopping and found the following sophisticates.

I don't know why, but knee replacement surgery left the baby toe on my left foot with less mobility, which has, after banging the toe on various table legs and other objects, made the foot slightly wider. This Jimmy Choo "Sport Ballet Flats" would be good because the tapered toe is gradual vs. severe (ouch!) like some of the following shoes. Up to size 10. $320.

I love the deep emerald green color of this "Suede Flat" by Miu Miu. It makes me think of springtime and St. Patrick's Day. The toe doesn't have extreme pointiness. I could see this going with a nice ensemble of tans and browns and hints of the green. Up to size 9. $295.

Although the copy for this Marc Jacobs "Keyhole Skimmers" declares that it has a "softly pointed toe," it looks very pointy and very gold to me. I don't know if my left foot could handle it. On the other hand, with soft leather, who knows? Up to 9.5. $395.

The golds and browns in this Miu Miu "Paillettes Flat" would definitely work better with my wardrobe. And is that a silver gray bow and trim? The contrast totally works! How do they know to do that? Color genius! Up to 10. $445.

The toe on this Miu Miu Denim Flat is really pointy, but I like it anyway. The ruching makes the denim sooo sophisticated. Unfortunately, they only go up to size 10. Designers: we need 11s and 12s!! $355.