Everything worth knowing about Balenciaga Red Shoes Worth Owning is below, starting with the part that changes what you buy. Measure your calf before buying anything with a shaft above the ankle. A stacked heel walks better than a block of the same height. The groups below run from the decision that matters most to the ones you make afterwards.

What decides this is shaft height, calf width and sole grip. Everything else is preference. Two from the first group show the range: mmlafleur.com's Sarah Flint Perfect Dress Bootie 60 :: Black Suede at $595, and Ann Demeulemeester's Helfred Ankle Boots With Zip at $1150. The first is the easy entry point; the second is where the money goes. A stacked heel walks better than a block of the same height. Measure your calf before buying anything with a shaft above the ankle. A higher price mostly buys materials and finishing, and occasionally it buys nothing at all.

Boots want either a skimming trouser or nothing below the knee at all. From the second group, anndemeulemeester.com's Ro Chelsea Boots ($1390) is the one that earns its place, because it works in more than one context without being restyled. The third group is smaller and deliberately narrower, flats, for the decisions you make after the main one. None of this needs the whole group. One piece from each is usually enough.

There are 20 pieces here from 14 brands, $55 to $1390, all in stock when this was written. We would not buy all of them, and neither should you. Frye's Ivy Low Lace Mule - Frye Found at $55 is the low-risk way in, and anndemeulemeester.com's Ro Chelsea Boots at $1390 only makes sense if this is a category you already use constantly. Read as a set, they get you close to Balenciaga Red Shoes Worth Owning without any single purchase being compulsory. Nothing here is included because it is famous, and price is not used as a proxy for quality anywhere on this page. If you take one thing away: if you would not buy it at full price, you do not want it on sale.