Tuesday night, Emily returned from her jaunt to Paris with February's Vogue Paris in tow and delivered it to us with a proclamation: “Apparently it’s all about the pointy-toed pump.” She wasn’t kidding—the issue (devoted to New York, ironically enough) holds five fashion spreads as diverse in concept and execution as the city itself. The beauty alone ranges from a daytime, full-'70s smoky eye and soft pink lip [2-3], to Anja Rubik's worn-out, next-day eyeliner and fuschia gloss [6-9], to a strong brow and clean contouring, to Terry Richardson's Serpico-tinged shoot with Natasha Poly. But one element remains consistent throughout: four out of five of the stories feature clean-lined, classic, sky-high stilettos (avec pointed toe), whether in black, white, silver, studded, vintage, courtesy of Jimmy Choo or Manolo Blahnik, modeled by Anja Rubik, Kati Nescher, or Milla Jovovich. The shoe's the same, kids. Ain't that a trip?
(And by the way, a quick Google dive into the annals of street-style blogs will show you that Emmanuelle Alt and stylist Capucine Safyurtlu practice what they preach when it comes to footwear. Can you say “walk this way,” en Français?)
It’s enough to make a girl want to streamline her wardrobe/lifestyle right down to her heels, for ever. The right pair of heels—simple, high, sleek—is the point here, as pumps can go mumsy in the blink of a blister pad; the key is the magic combination of posture-perfecting arch, leg-elongating heel height, and foot-flattering cutaway, all balanced perfectly so that you can walk, too! (Imagine!) It's a subtle art, for sure, but you know it when you see/feel it.
And before you start crying about discomfort:
A) There's no crying in baseball, and that goes for fashion, too.
B) Refer to our story about the best in Band-Aids from last season
C) Alessandra once trotted around for, like, 12 hours straight in a pair of Manolos originally made for her designer pal Wes Gordon's presentation and said they were shockingly comfortable. This, from someone who wears motorcycle boots every day. Take note.
So, in our ever-humble opinion? Snap up a pair and make sure you can walk smoothy before you leave the house. Here, our best bets for classic heels that will serve you well, day-to-night, office meeting to dinner, fête, and fashion week—both ITG- and Vogue Paris- approved (Anja's red American Apparel beret optional):
The Classics: Jimmy Choo's tangerine Anouk pump and Abel pump
Manolo Blahnik's black BB pump
Sergio Rossi's closed-toe slip on pumps
Boutique 9's red-patent Justine pump
Jean-Michel Cazabat's black-patent Closed-Toe Slip-Ons
Steven by Steve Madden's black-patent Loulu pump
The Metallics: Saint Laurent Paris' silver Escarpin Thorn pump
Feeling Studly? Valentino's Rockstud Noir pump
Christian Louboutin's Pigalle 100mm spiked patent pump in chalk
All images from the February 2013 issue of Vogue Paris; [1, 4-5] by Inez & Vinoodh; [2-3] by Claudia Knoepfel and Stefan Indlekofer; [6-11] by Mario Sorrenti—subscribe to see more photographs.
