Expert consulted: 
Finding a pair of comfy shoes that are actually stylish is no easy feat — so once we find a pair that ticks all the boxes, we tend to wear them over and over again. It seems that Meghan Markle feels the same way; the star was just spotted at Disneyland wearing these Birdies Flats, a style she's been sporting since her Suits days.
Over the weekend, Meghan shared an Instagram video from a family trip where she chose to wear the Birdies Starling Flats — and our experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute understand why she's loyal to these slipper-like shoes, which earned a best-of spot among our top-tested women's loafers and most comfortable shoes.
With a rounded toe silhouette and a flat heel, the style combines the comfort of slipper and look of a loafer. Our testers even say that the Birdies Starling Flats feel like "walking on clouds," perhaps because of the quilted footbed made with plush memory foam that conform to feet.
Don't just take our word for it (or Meghan's!) — thousands of reviewers have given Birdies' Starling Flat a five-star rating on the brand's website. "The Starling is the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn," one shopper said. "[It] feels like wearing a bedroom slipper because of the quilted lining of the insole."
Meghan opted for the style in black velvet fabric, but they're available in more than 15 colors and materials including leather, suede and even calf hair. You can shop them in women's sizes 5 to 13 (along with wide options). Note that some of our testers say these shoes run large, so we recommend sizing down if you're in between sizes.
We think that Birdies' supportive cushioning makes them worth the price point, but we've also rounded up some alternatives to get Meghan's look for less. Below, shop similar styles to the Birdies Starling Flat for under $100 — including our experts' best value flats for work, Amazon Essentials' Belice Ballet Flat.
Shop more top-tested flats and loafers under $80
Lauren Gruber is an associate commerce editor at Hearst Magazines, where she writes for publications like Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Prevention, Country Living, House Beautiful, and more. She has over four years of professional experience covering a variety of lifestyle topics from home to fashion, with an advanced background in beauty and fragrance. When she’s not researching the most worthy Prime Day deals or hands-on testing all the latest perfume launches, Lauren is probably hanging out with her cat Serafina or flexing her AMC A-List membership at the movie theater.
You can find her previous work at Entertainment Tonight, Shop TODAY, USA Today, Self Magazine, L’Officiel USA, V Magazine, and Modern Luxury Media.
Emma Seymour (she/her) is the associate director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Textiles, Paper and Apparel Lab, where she has led testing for luggage, pillows, towels, tampons and more since 2018. She graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor of science in fiber science and apparel design and a minor in gerontology, completing research in the Body Scanner Lab on optimizing activewear for athletic performance.
