At 5’2″, heeled shoes have always been less of a choice and more of a necessity in my wardrobe. From the moment my mum decided I was old enough to wear them, they became my default. Any extra height wasn’t just a bonus; it felt essential, especially when everyone else was wearing heels too. Then came the Covid years and almost overnight, everyone shrank a few inches. Comfort became the priority, but what started as a practical shift quickly evolved into a full-scale style movement. In what I like to call ‘The Great Leveller’, ballet flats, trainers and loafers worked their way into every corner of our wardrobes, and not just for ease. There was a nonchalance to wearing flats that we all wanted to emulate, no matter how glamorous the rest of the outfit, putting heels on the back burner.

This season, however, the mood is starting to shift back, and I’m not mad about it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved these flat-footed years, but there’s something about the understated elegance of a slight heel that can never be replaced. In what feels like a natural continuation of our noughties fashion obsession, heels have teamed up with jeans to present a stylish paradox that allows us to hold onto the off-duty nonchalance we found in flats and balance it with some subtle glamour.