Hooray for summer heels that you can walk right in! How to dress like an adult with Shane Watson

So you’ve got your chunky flats, your dress trainers, a pair of dainty mules, a pair of flats from a year ago and hmm… not so much to wear to the July wedding, the dressy birthday party and lunch in the garden of that new place down the road.

For this you need summer heels – walkable, light but not flimsy, modern enough for your daughter to borrow from time to time.

Things I don’t want off a heel this summer: Lots of bare feet on display (a bit of foot strap is about as appealing to a mom with young adult feet as a thong bikini); a mule with a heel, otherwise known as shoes that are difficult to hold while walking; and ankle straps, because they’re picky (I don’t mind an ankle strap if it’s in the right place, which is no higher than resting on the ankle bone).

I also don’t want Mary Jane features for the same reason I don’t want to wear a T-bar buckle Start-Rite sandal with white knee highs.

It’s the same with shoes as it is with clothes: the list of things you don’t want can be longer than the list of things you do.

Still, the do-want list is important, especially if you’re over 50 and shoes are the easiest way to show that you still have your finger on the pulse.

What I want is a shoe with a heel of about two inches (or almost three if it has a slim platform). A low heel can add inches to calves and make you look ten years older, and anything higher than two inches risks me shaky Dick Emery.

Aside from that, I want these heels to be a bit chunky, off-kilter, or daring — anything that takes them off their princess tip toes.

I want a strong color or a chunky block heel, a round toe or a pointy high cut, because those are the details that make heels modern and, by extension, give your favorite dress a facelift.

Here are a few in the shops that have piqued my interest…

• Jigsaw’s metallic gold double strap sandals (£120, jigsaw-online.com) have a block heel that measures just over 5cm and chunky straps that disguise the front of the foot. Plus, they come in that crackled antique gold that’s more versatile than the mirrored look.

I also like La Redoute’s gold braided ankle strap sandals (now £139.75, laredoute.co.uk). Both styles are classics, but just the right side of crass.

Gold is the color of summer 2023. It goes with everything, elevates dresses, adds glamor to trousers and makes chunky platform shoes look light.

• I’m not a fan of kitten heels (too many crevices in my kitchen floor over the years have put me off), but if I were, I could see the appeal of a green slingback with a woven toe cap and a 2.3-inch heel from Charles & Keith (£65, charleskeith.co.uk). Flat-sided angular kitten heels are an option, but I say stick with a regular heel and get your modernity points from color and texture.

• A narrow platform and a block heel is still the easiest way to ensure you don’t sink into the grass at the reception, but a hefty platform can look heavy in the summer.

Esska’s soft gold platform sandals (£155, anthropologie.com) are as low as you can go without looking blunt, and they’re very comfortable in every way.

Marks & Spencer makes a double-strap suede platform sandal of the same height (£49.50, marksandspencer.com) in a pale blush.

• I like a square block heel, but a fraction of flare in the base gives it extra “now” points. An unexpected color like tangerine gives snaffle loafers that Gucci magic. You can wear Bibi Lou’s cream loafer (now £114, lyst.co.uk) with jeans or your wedding best. Zara has a slingback version (£32.99, zara.com).

• The snubby slingback is the cool heel choice, with a round or almond toe, a glossy finish and a square block heel the details to look out for. Office has a pair in gloss black or useful beige (£64.99, office.co.uk) and the gold pair from Me+Em (£295, meandem.com) is what the fashion front row is wearing.