They’re back — heels you can actually walk in!
HOW TO DRESS LIKE A GROWN UP Jo Elvin
OFALL the Nineties trends making a comeback, I’mcheering l oudest f or the revival of the kitten heel. What is there not to love?
It hits that brilliant sweet spot where pretty meets practical. It’s a shoe that’ s chic enough to take on a night out, while still letting you dance. It’s smart enough to wear to work, without being hell if you have to stand on the commute. And c rucially, it’s a heel that’s casual enough to wear with your jeans.
While some people remains ceptical, the fashion world has spoken and heavyweight brands such as Dior, Gucci and P rada h ave l ed t he c harge for a rediscovery of the tiny, barely-there heel.
Why now? Perhaps it is fashion’s general love of getting nostalgic and,a larmingly, the Nineties is far enough back in time for us to review it fondly.
Or it could just be that designers have realised that, if we’re going to pay the eyewatering sums they’d like us to on a pair of shoes, the least they can do is make some we can actually walk in.
There a re s ome f or w hom t he kitten heel will always signify slightly straight-laced safety; you can’t be the long-term favourite style of our bluestocking Prime Minister, Theresa May, and totally dodge that bullet.
NEITHER achunky, fashionforward flat nor a sky-high sexed- up stiletto, kitten heelscan-look a bit buttoned up.
But I’d argue that this time round, they’ve been given a punk-over. Designers have re-imagined the prim with all manner of-embellishments.
British designer J.W. A nderson has brought the look full circle, replacing heels with shiny metallic discs and thus creating the most Instagrammed shoe of the season.
At Milan Fashion Week, the front row’s ubiquitous,d eliberately ugly flats of last season have been deftly replaced by the style.
I watched in amazement at Gucci’s flagship store as fashionistas queued up to try on t he s tudded l eather p umps, with a kitten heel carved out of bamboo.
And if you didn’t buy quick enough, there was a pack of rabid women ready to snatch them out of your hands.
I was quick off the mark, I confess, but a woman needs more than one pair of kitten heels. I’m very taken with an orange pair, £25, from ASOS
(asos.com). They remind me of the style made popular by Celine — part way between a court shoe and an ankle boot. From experience, a pointy toe is made more bearable by going up ah alf-size and adding an insole if necessary. Your toes will thank you.
For t he l ess d aring, t he s ilver metallic pair by Michael Kors, (£110, farfetch.com) are dreamy. You can walk in them and they will go with e verything you own.
On the High Street, you can follow that Gucci lead of jazzing up your petite heel by looking for fun detail. The green, c rystal e mbellished p air by lux-fix.com, £205, would be perfect for evening.
That also goes for the blue glitter heels by Lucy Choi London (shop lucychoi london. com) for £198. Of course, you can’t beat a hard-working pair of office k itten heels in black and the sleek, b lack T wiggy s tyle, £ 225, from Russell & Bromley (russellandbromley.co.uk) in a do snakeskinthe job. finish more than Yes, I love this trend and I hope it endures. The only thing I’d change is the name — too cutesy by far for such a cool, hard-working shoe.