I'm on a bit of a pleat/ruching kick this week (see the top five pleated dresses over at Catwalk Queen), so today we're looking at the top five pleated or ruched evening shoes from the High St. I'm well aware that ruched shoes can look a bit old fashioned, which is not great (as opposed to 'vintage' which is fab), but depending on how it's done, it can make an ordinary court shoe or sandal just that bit more special.
This raspberry colour of this peeptoe from Topshop (£50) is really lovely and makes a change from the brighter fuchsia we've seen in stores lately. The vintage-style pleating on the toe and vamp is satin, but the rest of the shoe is leather.
This 'Paris' shoe from Rainbow Club is part of the wedding collection at ShoesDirect, but I know there are times when you need a light evening shoe for a particular dress and silver just won't cut it. As well as the pleats, this slingback features cut-out detailing and a Swarovski crystal buckle for sparkly party feet and is £65.
Principles describes this sandal as 'olive' but it looks pewter to me - has anyone seen it in person? I really like the casual style of ruching paired with a formal shoe, and the delicate diamante buckle on the ankle strap. It's £55 and also available in black and a rather tomatoey red for the discounted price of £41.25.
For those who prefer a more solid style, have a look at these silver leather pleated closed-toe shoes from Office. This style, that I always think of as 'courtesan', has kept coming back over the last few years and is usually seen in flirty satin, but I love it in the folded leather with a suede bow rather than velvet. If you want a pair, they're a reasonable £54.99 and also available in black.
Shoes with sparkly brooches are all over the place - everyone's doing it (and the top five brooch-detailed shoes post is not far away!). The addition of the pleating on these 'Bunsen' peeptoes and the two inch heel height makes these ones a bit different to the towering heels that often accompany the peeptoe/brooch combo. They're just £30 from Clarks.
