A girl never forgets her first pair of proper designer shoes. My first pair of Jimmy Choo shoes still make an appearance every spring. As soon as the weather starts to get a little warmer, the toes get pedicured and out come my favorite sandals. I don’t know what it is about them that makes them so lovable…

It could be the nostalgia effect i.e. first boyfriend, first car, first beautiful shoes. It could be because they are kitten heel and so cute and comfy. It could be that they have adorable rainbow stripes. However, mainly I think that it is what they stand for, that winter is over and that summer fun is on its way.

So get your ‘symbolic summer sandals’ ready and who knows maybe some sunshine is just around the corner!

Even ‘wintery’ brand Ugg have some yummy summer sandals!:

Every girl wants to feel special on her wedding day, indeed nothing can induce the special-factor better than the most stunning pair of shoes in the land. (Author floats off in dreamworld of dresses and shoes).

OK so I am not fortunate enough to be having my own special day any time soon but I do have the pleasure of attending a few weddings over the coming months, even as part of the wedding party and I am of the opinion that a girl should also be able to feel special on someone else’s special day!

So the search began for the perfect wedding shoe – which of course depends upon the outfit!

The Bridal Wedding Shoe:

There simply cannot be anything more sensational than a white/cream/ivory wedding shoe. Satin, leather, crystal – it does not matter the effect is the same – to make the wearer’s legs look long and tanned (yes the white shoe creates the impression of golden skin on even the pastiest legs)!

When the quest for the perfect wedding shoe began, I discovered two things:

1. There are some truly HIDEOUS designs out there:

2. There are some truly STUNNING designs out there:

When purchasing wedding shoes there are some important considerations to keep in mind:

Location of wedding: Whilst stilettos may be the most lovely – they are no good on a Caribbean beach! You do not have to go with the hideous flip-flop, other options are available:

Duration of the wedding: Will you be wearing the same shoes all day? If you do choose a pair of stunning stilettos make sure you consider the fact that you will be wearing them for a considerable time, there will be aisle walking, there will be dancing – do you want ball-of-foot ache ruining your big day? Either practice and break-in the wedding shoe (I find cleaning the best test) OR choose an option with a smaller heel. If you are feeling extravagant – have both!!!

Designer: Do you have a favourite/dream brand of shoe? Is it Gucci, Manolo, Jimmy Choo, Gina? If so what better excuse to indulge than your wedding day!! Even the most frugal/tight/sensible groom cannot complain on your wedding day!!!

Height of the groom: A pivotal factor in wedding shoe decisions!

Wearability: If you want to spend a lot on wedding shoes then try to pick a style which you will wear again. A classic sandal style would be lovely for holidays in future, a Crystal encrusted sandal for evening wear etc. A closed-in white/cream court shoe is unlikely to be worn again (unless you are an Elizabeth Hurley white-jeans wearer or a white power-suit kinda girl).

Material: Whilst satin is lovely, it is not very practical if it gets dirty. In particular a satin court shoe could be ruined by a muddy puddle. Leather may well be a more practical option if you are thinking of longevity.

With all of the above in mind, I made my selection for the perfect wedding shoe and for the upcoming nuptial season I puchased:

The Jimmy Choo Pabla – white (stunning tanning effect), lizard skin effect leather (practical, easy to clean), kitten heel (comfort, wear-ability), classic sandal design (perfect for my hols), understated (after all you have to give the real bride a chance)!

As a child living in trainers, the metamorphosis to shoe wearer and even worse, heel wearer has, for me, not been an easy process. I see celebs like Victoria Beckham mooching round in sky-high heels day after day and I ponder – how on earth does she do it? It is my mission to try and make life easier for heel wearers the world over to try and deduce the most wearable heel.

Brand – I am a great believer that better crafted shoes (read more expensive shoes) are more wearable/comfortable than cheaper versions and I have on the whole found this to be the case. Of all of the top-end shoes I have tested (e.g. Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, Anya Hindmarch, Escada, Gucci etc.), I have found the most ‘wearable’ to be Prada. I have successfully managed full days of work in Prada heels, where other brands have been swapped out by lunch-time!

My comfiest designer shoe: Prada Exotic Chic Mimetico

What have others found? Who do you feel to be the comfiest designer? (any comments welcome it does not have to be top-end designer).

Heel size – Do you have to sacrifice style for comfort? My personal favourite is the kitten heel (approximately 2 inches). I really struggle in shoes over 3.5 inches (more training is certainly required)!

See this article for tips on how to train!

Shoe style – are wedges easier than stiletto? Do platforms beat the rest? I suppose it depends upon the style of the shoe but surely according to the rules of physics, the more supportive shoes will be the ones with more surface area in contact with the ground. Hence giving the mighty Wedge a great advantage.

Although we have neglected to mention the boot which should certainly be more supportive of the foot since there is much more of it available for support.

Other useful articles in the quest to the Comfort-zone:

The T-Bar

Training in Wedges

Summarising the research so far – the following may well be this summers most walkable options:

The kitten heel wedge!

The Office Kitten heel

The Chunky Heel

Supporting the T-Bar

I suppose the final question to be asked is ‘why’. Why on earth do we torture our feet day in day out with shoes which are actually hurting our feet? Does it come down to style, sophistication, fashion? According to research the reason is much more primal than that. Heel wearing is synonymous with sex. A pointed foot is more indicative of orgasm and therefore a pointed foot is sexier. Heels give height, and height can indicate power in a sexual situation. Plus wearing heels changes the shape of the calf, making it slender and more attractive.

There is a question which has been playing on my mind for the last few weeks. It is not the meaning to life/universe/everything and unfortunately the answer is not as simple as 42. The question is – are Uggs still cool???

The summer slingback still seems a distant dream on the horizon and after the previous few weeks of pointing my heater at my frozen pinkies under my desk, I have come to the conclusion that some kind of thermal shoe is still required. Being not so sensible with shoe money when the object of my desire is a finely crafted piece of art is one thing, but what if it is a lump of sheepskin? Is this still so excusable?

The pros: they are extremely comfy, warm, practical.

The cons: pricey, will not really match with my work suit.

After contemplating said list for all of 5 minutes – I have come to the conclusion that the pros outweigh the cons and that I could not possibly comment accurately on Uggs whilst still being an Ugg-virgin!

That decision made – which style/colour to choose?

The classic short:

The classic tall:

Or rather bizarrely – The Cardy!(?)

Call me mad but I am loving the cardy option!

Once you have the lovelies – how do you care for them?

Good information can be found here.

Just seen a great post over at shoeflyer.com – about how best to care for your designer shoes. After-all when you have spent £250+ for shoes you need to make sure they are in tip-top condition!

We’ve come a long way since the old wives saying: Red shoes – no knickers. In fact – over the last few months some of the shoes I have most coveted have been of the scarlet variety. They make a striking impression with black trousers – or dress up your favourite old jeans.

When I first saw the Jimmy Choo Friday – in In Style magazine I swear my heart skipped a beat, so great was my longing for this shoe! In fact so great was my obsession for the ruby slipper that my Dorothy complex began. I would wake in the night to take a peek at the mag, I would find myself browsing the net for a glimpse.

Finally the day arrived – pay day – I spent the income of a small country purchasing the ravishing beauties. All of the evils of the world were solved once I had these shoes. I was convinced of the magical powers of the ruby slippers and wore them to a job interview – would you know it I got the job!

But… could I walk in them, could I heck. Despite hours of practice, I still cant! I have to say though – they still look great when you are sitting down!

The mighty power of the red shoe still lives on. There are some stunning examples out there. The nicest rubies that I have been able to find are:

Peep Toe Lovelies

Perfect Patent

Bowtiful