It’s the season of the divisive shoe. Springtime always ushers in a few styles that cause a stir, polarising opinions and creating that “Marmite moment” in fashion. First it was the mesh ballet flat, a see-through style that turned the idea of toe cleavage into a full striptease – fans call them “gauzy and delicate”, critics say they’re “freaky” and “sock-like” – suffice to say, they require a pretty pedicure at all times.
Now it’s the turn of the wedge, which has not enjoyed such a surge of popularity since the late Nineties and early Noughties. This throwback style – which admittedly never really went away, popping back for the odd micro trend but never quite stealing the show – has once again taken centre stage.
Forty-two-year-old Sienna Miller’s Met Gala after-party look this week was a step back in time to her 20s, when she epitomised the nonchalant boho-chic look: she wore a Chloé ensemble comprised of a flouncy white lace blouse tucked into high-waisted flared jeans with side buttons to reveal a flash of thigh and a soupçon of knee. However, the pièce de résistance was her choice of footwear: a pair of ‘Maxime’ wedge sandals from the brand’s yet-to-be released AW24 collection, with thick cross-over tan leather straps and a positively monolithic platform heel, engraved with romantic words, hearts and doodles like those you might see carved into a tree trunk.
In fact, Chloé’s new creative director, Chemena Kamali, has been widely credited for the current wedge revival thanks to a fashion coup de maître: for her debut Paris Fashion Week show this March, she maxed out on the Maxime by having a row of VIP guests wear them on the FROW including models Georgia May Jagger, Liya Kebede, Pat Cleveland, Clémence Poésy and of course Miller, who is now the unofficial face (foot?) of the brand having created a social media buzz in her clumpy-yet-cool sandals which are slated to cost around £1,400.
As someone who wore wedges religiously throughout my late teens and early 20s, this silhouette stirs up all kinds of fun-filled memories. In fact, my very first party heels were a pair of 90s orthopaedic-looking Red or Dead leather wedges with a rounded clog-like toe and a “cake slice” heel in wavy stripes of black, white and silver. My friends loved them so much, I used to have a logbook to fairly monitor who could borrow them if I wasn’t wearing them. I also had some claret-coloured velvet wedge sandals inspired by a pair I once clocked on Courtney Love. They had a platform heel and were painfully inflexible, perfect for that moody “rock girl” look because they endowed me with a permanent scowl.
Wedges can be sculptural and chic, with the exception of the espadrille variety which make me feel like I’m walking on Weetabix, although the Princess of Wales always manages to pull them off with grace and poise (though even she has been accused of looking a bit, well, dowdy in them occasionally).
They are (usually) more practical, comfortable and stabilising than stilettos. They give you height without the wobble and they are the very definition of nostalgic. Pioneered in the Thirties by Italian shoe designer Salvatore Ferragamo, whose archival wedge designs are timelessly joyful and include rainbow suede and bejewelled varieties, this shape also recalls the folky glamour of the Seventies with the popularisation of the front twist design and platform sole.
The late British shoe designer Terry de Havilland embraced this look and gave it a decadent disco twist when he designed the glitzy Margaux platform wedge, named after the fashion icon, model and actress Margaux Hemingway, and characterised by its cage-like open toe front design, swirly cut out appliqués and sturdy ankle strap.
Last year the brand celebrated the 50th anniversary of this iconic shoe which now comes in either a tall or midi height and a myriad of colours from classic black or gold (Kate Moss has the former) to bright metallics and pastels, some crafted in exotic patterned leathers, others structured with panels of smooth leather and suede.
“The Margaux Wedge has seamlessly adapted to the ever-changing fashion landscape,” says Terry de Havilland designer Josh Spurling. “Rarely does one style last the test of time across so many decades. Because it is such an iconic and historic design in our collection, it is one of our most popular choices with our customers. We have definitely seen an increase in demand for this style this year.”
Just about every luxury brand has embraced the springtime wedge revival and the styles are truly eclectic. Chanel’s wedge slippers are crafted from a specially laminated calfskin for a reflective high gloss effect in a swirly mix of pink, orange and yellow tones. Saint Laurent has a platform wedge espadrille version of its classic Tribute shoe, while Alaïa has gone big and bold with its LA Sculpture shoes – they look a little like swallow nests, structured from paper straw with a 14cm platform heel.
Even quirkier are Loewe’s Campo wedge sandals which feature an interlaced brushed suede construction inspired by the criss-cross design of vintage jelly shoes. Aside from these avant-garde styles which may not be to everyone’s taste, there are plenty of sleek classics cropping up in the collections of luxe to mid-range boutique labels too. See Cult Gaia, St. Agni and Rixo. In fact, Khaite has a mesh version of its classic Marion wedge sandal, so you can channel two daring spring trends at once.
Wedges aren’t for everyone and I’ve yet to meet a man who finds them sexy. In fact, most of my male friends actively dislike them. One describes them as “hovercrafts for the feet”, another says they remind him of bricks, “too loud and scary”, which seems a bit extreme, though you wouldn’t want an Alaïa wedge flung at you in a fit of passion.
My problem is that while I still love the whimsy of a wedge, I prefer the look of a classic court shoe or a stiletto because I think they do a better job at elongating my legs.
British shoemaker Rupert Sanderson, who recently opened a new boutique on London’s Great Portland Street, has a better way of putting it: “The thing about the wedge silhouette is that it is a solid mass. There is something undeniably elegant about a slim heel, something magical that makes a woman look like she is suspended in air,” he says. “I haven’t designed a wedge in a while, but I would do it as a kind of creative expression, rather than a straightforward shoe category. I was once inspired by the lights in the loos of Café de Flore in Paris. They were Lalique-esque and milky green in colour, so I made a line of wedges with Perspex heels inspired by them, to look like you were standing on glass. They were quite amazing.”
The big question is, are wedges really any better for your feet than a block or pencil heel? According to the consultant foot and ankle surgeon Mr David Gordon, AKA The Bunion Doctor, they are. “Overall, I think wedges are a great alternative to a higher heel. The biggest plus is that the thick heel increases stability to the foot and ankle, rather than in a narrow heel, which provides a much smaller contact area with the ground. So wedges provide a nice firm base. This makes it much less likely to cause an ankle injury, The thickness of the wedge often extends underneath the front part of the foot. This is a plus, as the wearer does not need to increase the heel height, to gain the same height advantage,” he says.
However, flat supportive shoes (laced trainers not ballet flats) are always the best option if you want to look after your feet and posture: “Wedges are still are a heel and depending on the height, this can force the front part of the foot into the shoe toe box, increasing the foot pressure and exacerbating problems like bunions and Morton’s neuroma,” he adds.
As a former patient of Mr Gordon – he successfully performed bilateral keyhole bunion surgery on me in the summer of 2022 – I know how damaging prolonged wear of high heels can be to the feet. He’s also a realist: he knows that once a patient has dainty, straight feet, she usually wants to show them off.
If I’m to be good(ish) to my ankles, toes and posture, it sounds like I should park the pumps and explore this blossoming new shoe wear trend. As Marilyn Monroe famously said, “Give the girl the right pair of shoes and she’ll conquer the world”. And if they are noisy and scary, well I reckon that’s even better.
Try these
Raffia, £119, Mint Velvet; Pink espadrilles, £139, Penelope Chilvers; Tan leather, £85, Clarks
Black espadrilles, £740, Saint Laurent; Brushed suede, £1100, Loewe; Black leather, £230, Ancient Greek Sandals
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