In the early 1670s Louis XIV let it be known that only a chosen circle of noblemen could wear red heels at his court. The Getty's curators point out that courtiers in the portraits of the period are often posed a little awkwardly, just so the heels show. The king was still wearing his in Rigaud's 1701 state portrait, and red heels stayed at Versailles until the Revolution. I think about that every time I put on a red shoe, because it still reads as a small announcement.

 

These are my red heel selects, sorted the way I actually shop for them: pumps first, then slingbacks, then sandals and mules. The reds run from tomato and scarlet through cherry, wine and oxblood, and that range matters more than anything else on this page.

 

The pump is where I would start. Gianvito Rossi, who launched his own label in 2006 after growing up as the son of Sergio Rossi, makes the Gianvito 105, and it is the true red every other pump gets measured against. Paris Texas, founded in Milan in 2015 by Annamaria Brivio and Massimo Baltimora, does the Lidia in a dark amarena cherry that behaves almost like a neutral. Magda Butrym's crochet and loom pumps are the textured ones, and the Sam Edelman Hazel in deep scarlet and the Tony Bianco Anja in bordeaux are the pairs I would wear on an ordinary weekday.

 

My test for a red pump: hold it next to the bag you carry most. If the two reds fight, pick a deeper shade. A wine pump goes with brown, navy and black, while a bright red mostly wants black or denim.

A slingback is the red heel I suggest to anyone who says they don't wear red heels. Less shoe means less colour, so a red slingback reads as a flash at the heel rather than a whole statement.

 

ROTATE, founded in Copenhagen in 2018 by creative directors Jeanette Madsen and Thora Valdimars with Birger Christensen, makes the satin slingback in windsor wine, and it is the dressiest pair here. The Attico's Diane is a 55mm slingback in a clean red, and Magda Butrym's kitten-heel slingback is the one I would walk furthest in. Gianvito Rossi's Eloise and the Dries Van Noten eyelet slingback are the two I would save for, while the Alexandre Birman Olivia in flame, the Vince Sabra and the Dolce Vita Yela in cranberry cover the easy everyday end.

 

What I would skip: a very pointed red slingback on a very high heel for a long day on your feet. The strap is doing the job a closed back usually does, so if it slips in the shop, it will slip all evening. Try them on with the tights or socks you will actually wear.

Red sandals are the most fun on this page and the easiest to wear, because a strap of colour next to bare skin never looks heavy. I like them with jeans and a white shirt, or with a black slip dress when I want one thing to be loud.

 

Tory Burch's Lock kitten-heel sandal is still the lowest and most walkable heel here, and her jelly heel flip flop is the playful one. The SENSO Frida in tomato and the Femme LA Tokyo thong are the brightest reds in the edit. ROTATE's velvet sandal in scooter red is for parties, Cult Gaia's Addison comes in a vermillion that sits closer to orange, and the Badgley Mischka Yohana in cherry satin is the evening option. For the deeper shades, the Black Suede Studio Brea mule in chili flake patent and the RAYE Jocey in oxblood calf hair are the ones I would reach for once the weather turns.

 

A practical note on mules: walk the length of the shop in them before you decide. If your heel lifts out on every step, go down half a size or choose a sandal with an ankle strap.

Red is not one colour, and that matters more than the heel height. A bright true red like the Gianvito 105 or the Valentino Panthea reads as a statement and fights anything patterned. The deeper reds, the cherry on the Alexandre Birman Nicole and the windsor wine on the ROTATE slingback, behave almost like a neutral and are easier to wear twice a week.

 

Heel height then decides the occasion. The Tory Burch Lock at 55mm and the low block heel on the Aquatalia Aloha are genuinely walkable, and the 105mm pairs are not. Pick the shade for how often you plan to wear them, then pick the height for where. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together The Slingback Heel Is Back on Its Best Behavior.

 

If you want to keep going, Slingback Pumps and Pointed-Toe Pumps and Slingbacks pair well with this edit.