Five outfits that look better with (comfortable) heels

For Lisa’s full outfit details, scroll down - Sarah Brick

Now that Russell and Bromley’s future is in limbo (Next, its new owners, haven’t yet said what they plan to do with it), where do we shop for those walkable heels that we keep being told are back in fashion?

Generally R&B could be relied on to get the quality and price balance right even if, visually, details sometimes missed the mark. But when they focused, they were hard to fault, particularly when it came to boots.

Despair not. This is an opportunity to try different brands. Bobbie’s, a mid-priced French name doesn’t quite match R&B’s quality but has distinct design flair that make classics zing. Dear Frances, an excellent indie British label, is superlative quality, but significantly pricier. Zara is astonishingly good for designer copies, but comfort levels vary hugely. The H&M suede slingbacks I’m wearing here are cheap and good in all the right areas – thin heel, almond rather than witchy toes. But built to last? Possibly not.

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Ayede, a Berlin line, is a Telegraph fashion desk favourite for classics with elegantly subversive detail, like the deep V court shoes featured below which have magical leg lengthening properties. Anonymous, a Copenhagen brand, is less expensive, and moving in on Ayede’s cool in-the-know aesthetic. Le Monde Beryl is lovely if pricey (check out its sales), while Sezane is hard to beat on quality, price and often, design.

It’s worth shopping around. There’s still an army of flats being worn on the streets, but sometimes, heels are just better, adding polish, sharpness and recasting proportions. Here are five outfits that look better with a (walkable) heel.

Voluminous/long jackets and tunics

Courtesy of Cos

If they optically cut you at the thigh or below, adding length to your legs is only logical. You can wear pretty much any silhouette you want, regardless of height, so long as you scale it to your size.

Flared trousers

Courtesy of ME+EM

Unless you’re tall, heels make wide trousers infinitely more flattering. Think willowy not wide.

Shin length pleated skirts

Courtesy of Mango

Pleated midis can be frumpy with a ballet flat. A low heel, kitten or block is transformative. It only takes 50 mm to tip your foot forward just enough to elongate the leg and ankle.

Jeans

Courtesy of Boden

The right pair should look good with flats, but heels add gloss to fabrics that might otherwise read as relaxed or even sloppy. Note, no heels with drainpipes, we’re not ready for that revival yet.

Any outfit you want to look fractionally dressed up

Courtesy of Baukjen

Heels change posture and therefore attitude. This is less about height and more about intent and how you wear your clothes. Counter-intuitively, a comfortable pair of heels could be the least bothersome, yet most impactful item you add to an outfit.

Post-Covid, many of us developed a fear of them, but pick the right height and width and they’re no longer a torture but an ally.

The real killer is an ultra narrow toe, uncushioned soles and stiff, unforgiving leather. Solutions include buying suede instead – it’s softer, but also more delicate. M&S’s Insolia is a patented sole cushioning – some of their designs are excellent, others frankly upsetting. Sole Bliss, Queen Camilla’s favourite, and increasingly, worn on the red carpet (Julia Roberts, Helen Mirren, Drew Barrymore) offers wider fits. Its Mary Janes look good.

You really don’t have to go the full Melania to deploy heels strategically. Used sparingly and intelligently, they tidy a silhouette, sharpen a mood, and occasionally rescue an outfit from looking merely fine to spot on.

Find your style

Photography: Sarah Brick, Hair and makeup: Oonagh Connor at Joy Goodman, Styling: Sophie Tobin, Stylist assistant: Chelsea Clay

Lisa wears: Organic cotton and merino wool cardigan, £140, Sezane; Wool blend skirt, £49.99, Mango; Kitten heel slingbacks, £22.99, H&M; Alpaca socks, £35, Pairs; Gold plated earrings, £135, PD Paola

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