Designer Shoes Women, Compared

Designer Shoes Women, Compared

The designer shoes women keep wearing tend to be the quiet classics: a good pump, a slingback, a loafer, a knee boot and one evening pair. Here are more than 200 of them, from Roger Vivier and The Row to Alaïa and Gianvito Rossi.

The pump, first

If you are building a shelf of designer shoes women actually wear, start with the pump, because it is the shape every other heel gets measured against. Roger Vivier is credited with the modern stiletto in 1954, while he was designing for Christian Dior, and his Belle Vivier pump with its square buckle followed in 1965. Catherine Deneuve wore it in Belle de Jour in 1967 and it has never really left.

 

The Belle Vivier Tortoiseshell Patent Leather Pumps are here for that reason. The Row's Penelope and Liisa Two are the quietest pumps I know, Gianvito Rossi's Gianvito 55 is the low heel I would wear to an office every day, and Khaite's Colt has a sharper, slightly longer toe. Alaïa's Pony Hair D'Orsay opens up the side of the foot, Christian Louboutin's Erozee 100mm is the high one for evenings, and Toteme's Sharp Woven-Leather Kitten Pumps sit somewhere in between. Veronica Beard's Lorena Cabochon Pumps add a jewel detail to a black point toe, while Jil Sander's Alma Pumps in taupe and Mansur Gavriel's Kiki Heels in aubergine keep the shape quiet. Balenciaga's Avenue pump and Saint Laurent's Resille mesh pump are the sharper end of the group.

 

My test for a pump is the walk to the corner and back on a hard floor. If your toes slide forward, the last is wrong for your foot, and no insole will fix it.

 

What I would skip: a 100mm heel as your only pair. Start somewhere between 55 and 85mm and add height later.

Street-style collage of 12 outfit photos featuring designer shoes, scattered and overlapping

Slingbacks and mules

A slingback is a pump with the back taken away, and that small change is why it feels lighter at the end of a day. The mule goes one step further and drops the strap altogether. These are the shoes I reach for when a pump feels too formal and a flat feels too casual.

 

Roger Vivier's Belle Vivier Striped Suede Slingback Pumps and Ramage Slingbacks carry the same buckle story from the pumps above. Saint Laurent's Voltaire Glazed-Leather Slingback Pumps are the sharp, glossy pair, Alaïa's Le Cœur Suede Slingback Pumps are the soft suede version, and Valentino Garavani's Valet Du Roi comes as a slingback pump and as a ballerina. In mules, The Row's Ella Leather Kitten Mules and Khaite's Colt Leather Mules are the cleanest, Ferragamo's Cirry 55 is a low and easy height, and Bottega Veneta's Woven Leather Mules show off the house weave.

 

The test here is the strap. Walk down a flight of stairs: if the slingback slips, you need a smaller size or an elastic insert, and if a mule slaps your heel, the vamp is too shallow for your foot.

 

What I would skip: a mule for a day of walking. Save it for dinner.

Flats, loafers and lace-ups

The best flats are the hardest shoes to make, because there is nothing to hide behind. A ballet flat lives or dies on the cut of the vamp, and a loafer on how the leather softens over a season.

 

Alaïa's Leather Ballet Flats and Fishnet Ballet Flats are the ones I see on the people who dress best, Miu Miu's Crocheted Ballet Flats and Canvas Ballet Flats are the lighter versions, and Bottega Veneta's Charlotte Intrecciato Leather Ballerina Flats add the house weave. For loafers, Saint Laurent's Le Loafers, Miu Miu's Leather Loafers, Tod's Suede Loafers and Bottega Veneta's Silenzio Leather Loafers are each a slightly different shape, so try them back to back. Prada's Re-Edition Leather Oxfords and The Row's Novus Leather Boat Shoes are there for when you want a lace. Simone Rocha's Mary Jane Ballerina Grip Flats and Jil Sander's Elbe slip-on flats are the minimal ones, and Wales Bonner's Dakar Loafers in ivory and burgundy bring a colour you do not see often in a loafer.

 

My test is a full day. A flat that pinches at noon will not stretch enough by evening, so try shoes on late in the day, when your feet are at their largest.

 

What I would skip: very thin soles if you walk on cobbles. Pick a flat with a little structure at the heel.

Knee boots and ankle boots

Fall is when a good boot earns back its space in the closet. A knee boot changes the whole proportion of a skirt or dress, and an ankle boot is the one shoe I wear with every pair of trousers I own.

 

Khaite's Petra Knee-High Leather Boots and Marlene Leather Knee Boots are the clean, straight shafts, Toteme's Over-The-Knee Leather Boots go higher, and Alaïa's Cuissardes Suede Thigh-High Boots are the most dramatic pair here. Ferragamo's Zakia Leather Riding Boots and Saint Laurent's Francoise Suede Knee Boots are the ones I would buy to wear with a long skirt. For ankle boots, The Row's Cindy, Gianvito Rossi's Wylie and Max Mara's Cashmere Ankle Boots sit close to the leg and disappear under trousers. Aeyde's Hedvig, Herbert Levine's mesh ankle boots and Christian Louboutin's Loo are the newer ankle pairs, Bottega Veneta's Lug lace-ups and The Row's Hike boots are the chunky ones, and Moncler's Kickstream rain boots are for wet days.

 

The test for a knee boot is the calf. Sit down in it, because a shaft that fits standing can cut into the back of your knee when you sit.

 

What I would skip: a slouchy boot under a full skirt. One volume at a time.

Evening shoes

An evening shoe has a different job. It only has to work for a few hours, so it can be delicate in a way a daytime shoe cannot, and this is where satin, crystal and metallic leather come out.

 

Roger Vivier's Choc Buckle Embellished Pumps and Flower Embellished Satin Pumps keep the house buckle for night, Jimmy Choo's Coko Satin Sandals and Brigitte Lace-Trimmed Satin Mules are the softest, and Miu Miu's Crystal-Mesh Pumps catch the light without any extra jewellery. Saint Laurent's Opyum Satin Sandals have the logo heel, Valentino Garavani's Yolande Bow-Detailed Satin Mules add a bow, and Bottega Veneta's Stretch Metallic Leather Sandals are the minimal choice. For a flat evening, Prada's Crystal-Embellished Suede Ballet Flats do the job.

 

My test for evening shoes is an hour at home. Wear them around the house with whatever you will wear on the night, because satin marks and straps rub in ways you only notice once you are standing still.

 

What I would skip: a brand-new pair on the night itself. Break them in a little first.

Where I would start

If I were starting from nothing, I would collect four pairs in this order: a mid-height pump, a flat or loafer, a knee boot and one evening shoe. Slingbacks come fifth, once you know which heel height you actually wear.

 

Go for black or a dark brown first, then a colour once the basics are covered, and wear each pair around the house for an afternoon before the tags come off. The designer shoes women hold on to for years are rarely the loudest pair in the shop.