What a relief! Flats are finally fashionable
THE week before Christmas, I’ll be celebrating my 70th birthday with a family party at my favourite restaurant. There will be champagne, a cake, hugs, laughter and happy reminiscences.
But best of all, I will stride confidently to the table in the most fabulous pair of flat shoes, a style that is suddenly cutting edge. And about time, too.
Turn back the clock ten years to my 60th birthday party. Same crowd. Same restaurant. Only the evening was a total fiasco? Why? Because back then, like so many women, I was in thrall to killer heels, convinced that the only way to look and feel attractive was to teeter around in stilettoes.
Hitting such a landmark birthday, I’d never felt the need more. So in preparation for my party, I went to LK Bennett and bought myself a pair of black, high-heeled suede shoes.
They were to die for. Even the £180 price tag didn’t deter me, so determined was I to look ultra glam on my big night.
They pinched even as I walked around the shop floor, but as we all know, when it comes to shoes, love is often blind so I told myself they fitted beautifully.
Come the night, they were hurting by the time I got to the restaurant. So much so, that I kicked them off under the table as soon as I sat down.
All was well until it was time to leave. In the heat, my feet had swollen so much that it was virtually impossible to cram them back into the shoes. As I heaved and shoved, I felt like one of Cinderella’s lumpen stepsisters.
Finally, after a lot of huffing and puffing, I managed to squeeze my poor toes into them. My lovely daughters, Anna and Suzy, had to take an arm each and virtually carry me out of the restaurant.
Flushed with humiliation, I tried to ignore the other diners staring open- mouthed at such a ridiculous sight. I could tell they just assumed I was embarrassingly worse for wear (ironically, I’ve been teetotal my entire life.)
I can laugh now, but it was one of the most mortifying moments of my life. One I am in no hurry to repeat at my 70th bash.
I swore there and then I would never wear heels again. And I’ve stuck to my guns — despite that all was on offer back then were the sort of sensible, stout shoes that look as though they should be advertised alongside stairlifts and incontinence pads.
It’s only taken the fashion world a decade to catch up with me! For suddenly, magazines are full of celebrities in fabulous flatties.
And they don’t just wear them off duty, but at the swanky events where once upon a time only a killer heel would have done. Actress Emma Wat s o n , Hollywood’s Uma Thurman, Susan Sarandon, Cate Blanchett and Charlize Theron have all taken to the red carpet in flat shoes.
It’s a breath of fresh air for all those made to believe from birth that we need to wear heels to feel and look good.
My mother wore heels until the day she died aged 67, convinced that giving up on heels was tantamount to giving up on life. I’m so glad that I’ve persisted with flats.
FAr from needing heels to give me confidence at business meetings, wearing shoes that I can actually walk in gives me much more of a boost.
Now — to my utter delight — flatties are bang on trend. Far from having to hunt for them, I can find brands I love, such as Gabor and Geox, in mainstream department stores such as John Lewis. Their shoes — often in broader fittings to suit older feet — are fun and stylish. My new favourites are a pair of Gabor black suede shoes with sparkles. And I live in my Geox over-the-knee boots — usually with trousers tucked in.
I seem to scoop up a pair of £79 ballet pumps every time I visit Hobbs. And I’ve been telling all my friends about my latest find — pumps so soft you can fold them in half and pop them in your handbag, from Cocorose.
You’ve only got to browse our website — Look Fabulous Forever, the make-up brand for older women — to see women of all ages rocking flatties and making the style their own.
So, roll on my 70th party in a couple of weeks’ time. I have my outfit planned, from the brand-new knee-length black Whistles dress to the most luxurious sheer Wolford tights and the
piece de resistance — my Peter Kaiser black courts, which are fabulously flat, of course.
Tricia cusden is founder of Look Fabulous Forever, the make-up brand for older women, lookfabulous forever.com