Anna Harvey Timeless Style
Solving the annual shoe‑lawn conundrum
One of the glorious things about this country is our optimism. Few of us escape the summer months without an invitation to an event taking place out of doors. It might be a garden opera, concert, the races or simply a drinks party or barbecue. You may be going to a wedding with an outdoor reception. Whatever it is, the sartorial challenges are much the same.
The one I get most questions about is what to wear on one’s feet. I really sympathise as I have several times gone off to a wedding in my Manolo stilettos only to find myself gradually sinking into the lawn and threatened with an ungainly collapse backwards.
The only solution is to bend forward to counteract the angle the heels are acquiring as they sink to the hilt. The other solution is to take your shoes off, thus totally destroying the image of the sophisticated, elegant guest you were trying so hard to portray. Nowadays some receptions hand out little gadgets to slip over your high heels to prevent this awkward indignity (Gogo Heel at Amazon. com).
To avoid all of the above, particularly at a two-tier event like a wedding which includes an outdoor reception and later an indoor dinner and dance, an option is to take two pairs of shoes. One low or flat and then your favourite heels for the dinner later. Very few hosts expect the wedding guests to change what they are wearing, your outfit will see you through the whole event, but must go with both pairs of shoes, so choose with this in mind. For the garden or coir-matted marquee, wedges give you the height without the above problems. Flats are of course the most practical, but a lot of women feel dowdy in them when they are going out. The other solution is a block heel. For years, I travelled by air a great deal and noticed that the stewardesses invariably wore what I dubbed “BA heels”. I probably sniffed a bit back in those days, but then Prada took their inspiration from the heels that pushed the duty-free trolley, and they became fashionable overnight. They still are, and no wonder stewardesses are so wedded to them: they are very comfortable and, I now think, can be elegant, too.
Should one wear tights? Low denier and as close to your natural colour as possible if you are not happy with your skin tone or texture. M&S do a very good sheer seven-denier selection. Hawaiian tan legs and a pale face look strange so choose your tone with care. The trick is to fool people into wondering: is she or isn’t she?
Of course, it doesn’t end here. You need to prepare your feet and legs for the coming months. A pedicure is where you should be headed. Once done you can wear open toes, sandals, and bare feet with confidence, even on grass.