2 days ago
The best dressy shoes that won't wreck your feet
At some point in the last year or so, conversations around heels have shifted – from how many irresistible pairs are out to part us from our hard-earned cash to how few comfortable ones there are. The volume gets turned up in summer, when special-occasion dressing hits its stride. We seem to have slipped from an era when a Carrie Bradshaw-level addiction to shoes was more or less normalised to one where commiserations around bunions are.
It must be our age. That said, hardly anyone under 30 wears high heels either – unless they're on a red carpet. Even then, they're easily separated. At Cannes, Kristen Stewart rapidly replaced her heels with trainers. She's not the first to abandon outdated ideas of what a woman should wear to a formal occasion – and she won't be the last.
Who can blame her? Ultra-high heels look and feel stridently unemancipating on all but a tiny minority who are presumably incredibly disciplined in pain management.
While trainers will always have a place in every wardrobe – not least because a well-fitting pair is basic self-care – not everyone wants to wear them every day, especially when it's dress-up time. Queen Camilla loves Sole Bliss (so do Julia Roberts, Dame Helen Mirren and Viola Davis), a British brand that specifically talks up the comfort of its shoes. Most don't – you'd think it was a social crime.
There are four considerations that determine shoe comfort: the narrowness of the toe (according to a 2014 study by the UK Society of Podiatrists, British feet are on average significantly wider than they were in the 1970s); the height of the heel; the amount of padding in the sole; and the softness and pliability of the upper – if it's velvet, mesh, suede or glove leather it will have much more give. With a few honourable exceptions (M&S's patented Insolia, for instance), many of the cheaper brands don't bother with padding. That's an issue as we get older and the fat beneath our metatarsals dissolves – the one place you don't want it to.
Three more factors come into play when you're looking for shoes for a special event. One, if it has an ankle strap or is a Mary Jane, is it flatteringly positioned so as not to make ankles look thicker? Two, is the heel practical for the conditions? A pin-thin heel – no matter how low – isn't the best choice on grass. Three, if it's a sling-back, will the strap stay in place?
Gigi: Denim Leather heels, £189, Sole Bliss
The Sézane shoes I'm wearing here are clever because the straps sit low enough on the foot not to exaggerate ankles. They're slightly elevated, but I've regularly walked several miles in mine. They've been a bestseller for the past three years, and Sézane keeps bringing out new versions – from animal print to patents.
If straps are a no-no, flat pumps or ones with a teeny heel can look lovely. Dear Frances's embellished styles are a revelation – not cheap, but well made and truly slipper-like. Plain, high-quality leather can also look sophisticated. Try an almond toe – more comfortable than a point, more leg-elongating than a round toe. Wedges and platforms work – especially with trousers – but are most elegant when you can only see a sliver of the lower part.
Other details that make comfortable shoes event-worthy include stylish buckles, metallic finishes on the heels (however low), and velvet – which can look ultra-chic in summer with bare legs. The low-down: think outside the high heel.
