With the attributes of lightness and flexibility, the Flexible construction is especially well suited to casual footwear such as the typical desert boot.

Often shoes of this construction type are unlined ankle boots, walking shoes and sandals, with unlined summer shoes having the added benefit of dispersing perspiration through the holes caused by stitching.

The Flexible construction involves folding the excess upper material outwards from the last, then stitching this through the insole. Because of this, both the upper and insole edges are visible on the finished article, lending these articles to a more casual application.

Alternatively, Flexible shoes can be made without an insole, i.e. the upper is simply stitched through to the outer sole. Either one or two rows of stitches can be used.

The advantages of shoes construced in this manner lie in their lightness, flexibility, and simplicity of design.