Apart from the actual dress, nothing has more potential to take you to the ball in style then what you put on your feet, whether you go for Louboutin, Choo, Givenchy or Gucci or take your pick of the high street offerings. You need something chic, sleek, leg enhancing, uplifting, glamorous and sexy to step into before you step out of the house. And many would say, as you put on your favourite flattering LBD, that the shoes come first.
Shoes should never be the afterthought, they don’t need to be designer expensive, nor do you need a cupboard full (although I’ll drink a toast to a cupboard full of glorious shoes) but they do need to have that modern edginess that pulls whatever else you’re wearing together.
Having said that, look at the styling on some of the more modern designer fashion websites and see seriously pretty dresses worn with heavy heels that actually destroy the look of both. Don’t go there. Catch sight of yourself in a mirror full length once you’re out and you may not like what you see, and it may be too late to do anything about it. A great pair of shoes will balance what you’re wearing, not steal the limelight, but add a frisson of je ne sais quoi - something stylish, elusive and special to the whole proceedings.
The best shoes, apart from the glamour factor, are those that help you step out with confidence, and it’s worth investing in at least two pairs, one black, one neutral, or metallic (think sequin, shimmer and serious sparkle), at least, to see you through the season. Oh and did I forget to say………the best shoes are those you can walk in as well.
In Paris recently I was horrified, wearing my precious black sparkly ‘valet parking heels’ (in other words please don’t expect me to walk in these), to be asked to walk to find a cab as there were none around. Walk? In these babies? From cab to door maybe, but down the street, round the corner and on for maybe hundreds of yards? Impossible! Luckily I didn’t have to - try to explain plaintively why you’re wearing shoes on your feet that you can’t actually walk in and some simply don’t understand. But go for it. How many pairs of shoes is too many? Only you can answer that.
