Speaking as someone who'd dearly love to wear more pointy, strappy, flimsy shoes but can't due to the curse of wide feet, I was jumping for joy when I read recent reports on how swathes of women are ditching foot-maiming shoes in favour of more comfortable styles. These in turn, thanks to all the lovely, stylish women who are wearing them, are becoming 'Hot Stuff'. And I've noticed this on the shoe blogs, too. Styles that would once have been considered 'grannyish' are suddenly being held up as must-have items.
There are some gorgeous styles out there at the moment that are eminently sensible in terms of foot health and comfort, from the trend for 'boyfriend shoes' - which challenge the idea that only men can wear un-punishing shoes - to the ever more on-trend styles from traditional purveyors of sensible shoes, like Clarks (whose 'Be Hold' loafter pictured above is the very epitome of comfort and style) and M&S. But what do you think? Is this a trend that can continue, or is this just another futile attempt to pit 'granny shoes' against timeless high-heeled classics that will never - ever - go out of style?
Over the past few years, I've had to strike quite a few otherwise perfect styles off my ankle-boot wishlist - all because the designers saw fit to remove the toe portion of the boot - traditionally an integral part of autumn and winter footwear.
What's going on here, folks? I know that practicality isn't the only concern when buying shoes, and is often the least of our concerns. But the open-toe styles we all love in the summer months seem to be creeping into more A/W styles than ever, and unless you're a year-round jet-setter, I can't see the trend being good to you.
...or do I just need to stop whining and invest in thicker tights? You decide!
Jimmy Choo is giving fashionistas the chance to have a real party for their feet with his latest shoe innovation: it's these extravagant lighting up disco sandals, just debuted at Milan Fashion Week. The wearer's movements trigger the perspex heels to light up, just like those kiddies' trainers that flash on and off as they toddle along.
Do these represent for you the ultimate in party shoes or a taste u-turn for the footwear king? You decide!
A lot of the hottest styles out there have one feature that I find it very hard to fit into my personal definition of 'great shoes'. That feature is, of course, the spiked heel.
The first thing I ever think when seeing a shoe with a metal spike on the end of it is 'ouch' - in the sense of 'that must be painful to wear' and 'I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of that!' But mostly, if I'm honest, I just think they look cheap - even when they're on a pair of £600 Jimmy Choos or the latest range from New Look. What do you think? Vote in the poll below - and if you're a 'yay', the patent multi-strap shoe shown left is Carvela's Adelphie: £100 from House of Fraser
I'm going to come straight out and say that I like these styles: the functional look is one I like, as long as it's twisted into shape by a talented designer - in this case, Christopher Bailey. I like the heavy look, the grounded feel of wearing densely-soled shoes, and I think it works well with the styles here. But I've a feeling I might be on my own here. Thoughts?
I'm generally a (huge) fan of Charlotte Olympia, and have far more time for chunky platforms than most. But despite this, I find myself rather unsure about the label's new platform wedges. Somehow, the expanse of black suede making up the shoe and its platform is a little too much, and the boat-style wedge in itself a little ugly.
Overall, I can't help thinking that this looks like a shoe that's been plonked on top of another shoe - then put on sale for a laugh by Net-a-Porter at the not-cheap price of £555. But what do you think?
It's took me a while to come round to the idea that tassels on bags can be cool without being boho (or cowboy), and now I'm loving what Luella et. al. are doing with the frayed appendages. Even seeing tassels on ladies' bare chests is considered fairly mainstream in these liberal times. But on shoes? I'm not so sure I like it. Particularly when, as in this case, the shoe in question is already highly decorative.
However, tassels are a trend that's coming through in some of my favourite brands, so they may be just another fashion fad to get used to. What do you think? (If you're a 'yay' the shoes are £120 at Carvela)
Speaking as someone who'd dearly love to wear more pointy, strappy, flimsy shoes but can't due to the curse of wide feet, I was jumping for joy when I read recent reports on how swathes of women are ditching foot-maiming shoes in favour of more comfortable styles. These in turn, thanks to all the lovely, stylish women who are wearing them, are becoming 'Hot Stuff'. And I've noticed this on the shoe blogs, too. Styles that would once have been considered 'grannyish' are suddenly being held up as must-have items. 
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