The last few years have felt like a shoe wasteland. I have searched high and low for a pair of flats that are formal, elegant and can handle my poor, useless feet (falling arches). There have been many pairs of pretty flats, unfortunately they have been made of soft leather or canvas, rather than holding my broken, size 8's they have creased and bowed within seconds of placing them upon my feet. It's been tragic and ridiculous and extremely disappointing. So listen, I want to express my anxiety properly, I want to talk about high heels. Gwyneth Paltrow has started a small storm on the Guardian site this week by sporting 7" heels at some premiere or other and a conversation about shoes made me think that I should discuss my dislike of heels.

Heels. They look nice, they lengthen the body, the leg, stretch the ankle, compress the heel, place pressure on the ball of the foot. Heels burn. I admit that the occasional pain is worth experiencing to look a little bit glamorous but 7 days a week? Why go to such lengths? Why not wear flat shoes, you pop them on and you can walk for miles, there's no tottering, maybe a little plodding, the potential for a lengthy stride, if you want to run you can do it without flailing your arms about. Oh, you want to wear nice shoes? You want to buy something that looks interesting that you can wear in an office? That's a bit unusual isn't it, sorry the shops can't do that sort of thing.

I am resigned to trying Camper again although they never, ever have my size in stock. Women with flat feet don't buy shoes online because they just end up sending them back.

Peculiar fashion trends generally filter down from the catwalk to high street shops, currently you can find Balenciaga's hologram leggings amongst those trends. I'm definitely a Balenciaga fan and I find Nicholas Ghesquiere's clothes incredibly exciting so I was quite interested and amused to find that these had leaked into Topshop.



Urban Outfitters appear to be snagging the concept for one of their shoes from Tashkent NYC at the moment. There's been some outrage about it on the fashion blogs. Presumably that's because the price difference isn't particularly large and Tashkent NYC is not a major fashion label that makes a lot of profit. However if you knew about both of these shoes and could afford either pair (and had any sense of aesthetic) the clear favourite would have to be Cheyenne's shoe on the right, which is interesting, elegant and appealing from a design perspective.

Bella has owned these shoes for about 15 years. At first the most striking thing about them is the colour, emphasised by the gleam of the material but actually I think the shape, the round toe and that great rectangular heel draw me to these shoes more. If they were made of dull black plastic than I wouldn't like them very much so I suppose it's really the overall effect but the more I look at the heel the more I'm drawn to it.



Tall women who don't wear shoes with big heels often make the mistake of thinking that people choose them because they make them seem taller. Heels are about posture and the shape of your legs. In heels women seem more confident because they have to adjust their shoulders and hips to the height of the shoes, they have to compensate for the shift in the centre of gravity. It's a very good way to appear to be a different type of person, perhaps a little less shy than you actually are.

Shoes are loved because they are so aesthetic, almost examples of detailed design theory. On a more practical, artistic level they can compliment an outfit or clash with it but the right shoes will always offset your garments. Whether they are simple or complicated in appearance and regardless of the level of comfort, you can always find an interesting pair for any price.

Growing up I hated shoes. I had to search for hours to find a pair that fit. My large, flat feet were the feature I was least capable of adorning well. When I became confident about clothing my size 8’s became less of a trial and more of an exhibition space. Shoes became a joy because I could transform myself simply by wearing tulip red heels or lime green flats, patterned silk trainers with small, swirling flowers embroidered onto the fabric. To those who lack a shoe fetish, an abiding love, I recommend this particular peculiarity wholeheartedly.

So here have some Marc Jacobs, Prada, Repetto, Yamamoto and Trippen.