Found! The ONLY shoes you need this summer
No nEEd to tell any of you that it starts with the shoes. only last week Rishi Sunak felt forced to apologise for wearing some boxfresh Adidas Sambas (white with navy flashes and a grey suede toecap) after his choice of footwear became a subject of national debate.
depending on where you stand he is either a middle-aged man trying to look down with the youth in the hot trainers and damaging it in the process, or he’s a natty dresser who appreciates that Sambas can make a boring ‘navy trousers and white shirt outfit’ look sharp. And that’s a trick we’re all familiar with.
Sambas are unisex, of course, and I’ve been doing much the same thing with the exact same style for a while. dressing up jeans; modernising a plain trouser suit; giving black trousers a stylish casual spin. Every woman needs a chic trainer and these are the best. (Just forget the Rishi factor, I would.)
If you find the right shoe — one that’s on the fashion money and that suits you — you are two-thirds of the way to creating a few looks that work perfectly.
I buy shoes that are spot on for the season the second I see them, knowing that whatever I end up wearing, the shoes will dictate the mood and let me keep everything else simple. This is when your wardrobe really works overtime for you: when that shirt dress looks great for work (with the block heel slingbacks); or feminine and fun for going out (with the silver sandals); or summer-weekend ready (with the flatbed sandals).
So, here are my pick of the shoes that will cover most bases from now into summer...
Silver slingbacks
IT doESn’T have to be a kitten heel, but the shoe of the summer is shaping up to be lowish with a pointed or snip toe and some shade of shiny silver. A good option is Zara’s (£35.99, zara.com), but there are plenty to choose from including a good low style from M&S (£35, marksandspencer.com).
The beauty of this shoe is it looks as good with midi skirts and dresses, as it does with trousers of any length or shape and, being silver, has built-in evening/party pizzazz. That’s not to say you can’t wear them in the day — you can and should. They look like they are made to be worn with navy tailoring. Go for a higher cut in the front.
Smart flat pumps
You’RE probably aware that ballerina pumps are back, including the ones that look like you’ve pinched them out of a ballet school locker — square-toed, satin and white.
no-one is expecting you to wear these and a couple of months ago I was confident that the whole ballet pump thing should be avoided. Still, there are few things neater than a simple pair of black ballet pumps with white trousers or jeans (this is a withtrousers only look for us). Jackie onassis was wearing them well into middle age.
For my money, the balletstyle that works better on the 50-pluses is slightly reworked to make it more like a sleek flat pump.
Top in this category are Arket’s snakeprint ballerinas, cut high on the foot with a square toe (£149, arket.com). They look more grown up than a classic ballerina, solve the problem of foot bulge and will instantly make any pair of jeans or trousers seem 25 per cent more chic.
Comfy high heels
THERE will be weddings and there will be parties, and what can we wear that will a) look glamorous and b) take care of our feet and backs. The time between slipping on those leg-lengthening sandals and walking like dick Emery has narrowed dramatically in the past few years and now I like to wear a cushioned sliver of platform sole, both for leglengthening and comfort.
Boden has the perfect pair of summer event shoes in dull barely gold with a woven toe (£135, boden.co.uk) and they come in useful everyday tan, too.
Two-strap sandals
YES it’s not going away because it’s so comfortable and practical, but it is, arguably, getting better. The original Birkenstock buckled two-strap design is a fashion classic beloved of models and actresses (£85, birkenstock. com) and now there are plenty of tip-top, slightly more elegant variations on the High Street.
I love Zara’s black leather sandals with studs (£59.99) or the more casual whipstitched, tan suede version.
Wearing them does mean revealing your toes, but if you take care of your feet these are smart enough to wear to work.