Is this the one heel that won’t hurt your feet?

. . . thanks to a new design concept inspired by flamingos

MY aLarM buzzes and I open my eyes wearily. It’s 6am. I sit up, stretch my legs out of bed and slip my feet into the three-inch patent heels lying beside my bed.

What on earth am I doing, you might wonder? Today, slippers are off the menu. For there’s only one way to test out shoes that boast of being 18 hour heels — and that’s to start early.

But while they’re delicately beautiful shoes, in a warm, blush pink leather, I’m almost positive that I’m going to be in agony by the end of the day. Can these shoes really take me through school runs to dog walking to work meetings and beyond?

There’s so much debate about high heels it’s surprising we aren’t holding a referendum on shoes. after the kerfuffle over receptionist Nicola Thorp, who objected when told to wear high heels at work, actress Julia roberts went barefoot on the red carpet in Cannes last month to protest over a dress code that called for heels. It seems shoes are now a feminist issue.

But there is another burning issue when it comes to heels — and that’s sore feet.

‘Wearing heels throws weight on to the ball of the foot. This can cause agonising pain,’ says consultant podiatrist emma Supple. ‘Long term, it may mean ongoing posture and back problems.’

Yet many of us feel sexier with the extra inches that heels offer.

Being a home worker with a school run to do, my footwear tends to be chosen for comfort. The fashion for trainers is one I have embraced with alacrity. On special occasions, I might slip into a wedge.

as a young woman, I wore high heels every day — until I developed lower back problems in my late 30s. This time last year, wearing high heels for a week resulted in such excruciating pain that I was bed-bound for three days.

But the designer of the 18 hour heels, Shaherazad umbreen, 39, is confident anyone can wear her shoes. The design is based, she says, on the way a flamingo stands on one leg. Perfect weight distribution allows perfect balance — and thus no pain.

Shaherazad has even devised a mathematical formula for the ideal shoe, though she won’t share the details. ‘It’s top secret,’ she says.

So what inspired her to create the 18 hour heel?

‘Most heels are designed by men and are painful after an hour,’ she says. ‘I’m a businesswoman and spend my time going from meetings to evening bashes.

‘I thought it couldn’t be beyond us to create an attractive heel that doesn’t make you look like a waddling duck after a few hours.’

She took a weekend course in shoe making at the London College of Fashion. Then, working with a factory, she designed the 18 hour heels over two years. So what’s the design secret?

The 18 hour heels are 3in high. The toes are round rather than pointed, which means they don’t pinch your feet. Optional detachable straps offer extra support. Finally, the soft leather moves with your foot and doesn’t rub, pinch or blister.

The result is a Mary Jane-style shoe, in black or blush pink patent, with a magnetic button on the side to which you can attach embellishments — either straps or a selection of ten gem-encrusted attachments.

Yet I still have my doubts. even when my bad back wasn’t forcing me to lie prostrate, my high instep made heels tricky. My feet would frequently feel cramped and sore.

Once on, the shoes are flattering, making my short legs look longer. But the real challenge is in wearing them for 18 hours — two hours longer than my normal day.

Clearly, I look a bit of a fool traipsing downstairs in heels and a dressing gown. I’m glad we live in the wilds of Somerset with no neighbours to see me teetering into the garden with the dog. But even in my half-awake state, I’m not stumbling on the stairs. The 18 hour heels fit almost like Cinderella’s glass slipper. My only niggle is they are a little tight around my left heel.

When my husband wakes, he can’t help but raise an eyebrow as I clatter round the kitchen making breakfast with a scowl on my face. I feel like a Fifties housewife — only without the Valium.

Why so grumpy? Well, I know — thanks to my Fitbit fitness tracker — that I walk 2,000 steps, or a mile, before even starting the school run as I tear around the house.

Meanwhile, Lara, my seven-yearold daughter, is horrified by my appearance. ‘Why do you look different?’ she demands. I point out my pink shoes. She is decidedly unimpressed. When archie, 11, Oscar, ten, and Lara are deposited in their classrooms, I head to the supermarket to try out my heels on the slippery floor while pushing a trolley. I get some funny looks, but I’m blister-free.

BuT will I be so sprightly after I tend to the family pooch, Bumble? In fact, I trudge up our lane easily, though feeling silly. No other walker is garden-party ready.

Bumble persuades me to let him off the lead — and, instantly, hurtles towards the main road. amazingly, I’m able to run after him without discomfort.

By lunchtime, some six hours in, my feet feel a little sticky in the warm weather. But my back still doesn’t hurt and the slight tightness around my left heel hasn’t manifested into a blister.

I have meetings in the afternoon. Late for one, I have to run downhill on cobblestones. I’m tempted to slip my heels off, but resist.

after 12 hours, I’m back in the kitchen supervising homework and I’m still comfortable enough.

By mid-evening, I’m desperate to take the shoes off. My feet just want to relax. however, there’s no back pain and no blisters.

So are these the holy Grail of heels? While I don’t think it’s entirely time to ditch the trainers, I’ll be putting 18 hour heels on for days in the office or smart occasions. I think they’re genius.

The big downside, however, is the price. They start at £195 for a basic shoe and a strap, while extra straps cost from £40 each.

‘We are about sustainability and durability,’ argues Shaherazad. ‘From one pair, you can create ten more because there is a selection of removable straps.’

There’s another downside, too. Wearing shoes for 18 hours means I have to stay up way past my usual 10 pm. I finally take Bumble out for a few minutes at midnight, my heels clicking loudly in the silence of the countryside.

My feet may not be that tired, but the rest of me certainly is.

18hourheels.com