I Miss U all my Blog

After years in the fashion doldrums, the kitten heel is officially back. Kitten heels were seen all over the Autumn/Winter 2010 catwalks: at Stella McCartney, at Valentino and at Isabel Marant to name a few, and they were recently given a stylish seal of approval by Alexa Chung at Paris Fashion Week, which will undoubtedly launch thousands of copycats, or copy kittens if you will. (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

Yet despite all of this, kitten heels continue to divide opinion amongst women. Are they elegant, or are they a little bit twee? Are they dainty and demure, or are they sickly goody too shoes? There can be no doubt that kitten heels are the Audrey, not the Marilyn, of the footwear universe. I can certainly see their appeal from a practical point of view, in that you can be 'wearing heels' yet still run around the perilous cobbled streets of London in a degree of comfort, and they don't turn you into a towering giant, which is certainly an advantage for a girl who is taller than 5"10.

However, it is the very word 'practical' that trips me up and has prevented me so far from purchasing a pair. It reeks of that other word that just doesn't sit terribly comfortably within a stylish vocabulary: sensible. I am on the fence for now (or maybe until I turn into Carla Bruni and marry a French statesman). However if you do insist on wearing them, pair with rolled up slim fitting trousers and channel rockabilly-irony as seen at Isabel Marant (pictured).

Every girl needs a pair of hopelessly impractical shoes to treasure. I call this the Cinderella complex. In today's cynical and fast-paced world, handsome princes, fairy godmothers and mice that turn into footmen may be hard to come by. However there are and shall always be beautiful, unwearable shoes to covet and collect. My obsession began with a purple silk Prada pair with super-delicate purple silk rosebuds on the heels. I was at university and guilelessly spent my entire savings on them; and despite the fact I have worn them only once, my heart still skips a beat when I take them out of their box and slip them on my feet. Next came the black, suede ankle boots that I could not walk in but had to have. I wore them out on a first date and after several gin slings and a foray onto a cobbled courtyard, my legs went from under me, taking my date down too (luckily he saw the funny side and suggested another cocktail to ease the pain from the bump!) This season, I have my eye on these YSL pumps with a fringed heel (pictured). Divinely unnecessary-that is why I want them so much!

My favourite all time accessory is without question the hat. The options are unlimited and with this trend, literally anything goes. You can go grungy in a slouchy knitted beanie (the bigger and chunkier the better); edgy in a trilby; top off a preppy look with a felt cloche; or channel Charlie's Angels glamour in a floppy wide brimmed 1970s hat.

A hat has the ability to turn an outfit into an unforgettable look. I like to think that if an outfit is the image, then the hat provides the frame. A woman in a hat is instantly rendered more mysterious purely because the hat provides a buffer between her and the outside world. It is a talking point, certainly, but it does not invite questions and conversation from strangers. A hat stands alone, to be admired from afar.