Kitten heels sit at about an inch and a half and still change the way you walk into a room. This is a short lesson in what makes a good pair, from the pointed toe to the strap that actually stays put. The pairs below are the ones I would wear to a dinner and still be able to leave on foot.
Kitten Heels: The Low Heel That Looks Like a Decision
The case for the smaller heel
Kitten heels are the shoe for people who want the lift without the announcement. The story usually starts in the 1950s, when Roger Vivier is credited with a lower, slimmer heel at Dior, and Audrey Hepburn made the shape feel like a state of mind in films like Sabrina. The history is a little contested, so I will only say that a short stiletto has been flattering women for about seventy years. After a decade of platforms and block heels the size of a paperback, the kitten heel is the quiet correction. It says she can run for the train and still look like she planned the evening.
Start with the toe, not the heel
If you take one rule from me, it is that a kitten heel lives or dies by the toe box. A pointed or softly almond toe lengthens the foot and keeps a low heel from reading as sensible. Round toes can feel schoolteacher unless the leather is patent and the color is strong. The pumps in this group lean sharp, with Sam Edelman and rag & bone doing the cleanest versions. Try them on at the end of the day when your foot is at its widest. The right pair should hold your heel without gripping your toes, and you should be able to walk to the end of the block before you decide.
Slingbacks are the grown-up version
A slingback gives the kitten heel a little motion, which is why it feels more modern than a closed pump. Picture her in a fitted black skirt and a white shirt, the strap catching at the back of the ankle as she steps off the curb. The test is simple. Put the shoe on, stand, and pull the strap with one finger. If it slides off the heel, it will annoy you by lunch. Stuart Weitzman and Sam Edelman both make slingback kitten heels worth trying. Neutral tones such as bone, black and chocolate are the ones I would own first. Save the metallics for the third pair.
Texture is where it gets personal
Once you own a black pair, the interesting move is texture. Suede softens a dress and makes the heel feel less formal, and patent catches light the way jewelry does. Jeffrey Campbell and Cinq a Sept both do suede with a slim, believable heel. Wear them with a column skirt, a wool trouser that skims the ankle, or straight jeans with a clean hem. In our fashion dreams, she crosses a gallery floor in a pair of chocolate suede kittens and a long camel coat, and nobody can say whether the shoes are new or inherited. Stain guard the suede before you leave the house, because a kitten heel is the shoe you end up wearing in the rain.
What I would skip
I would skip anything with a heel under an inch that is trying to be a flat, because the proportions go wrong. I would skip embellished toes unless you plan to wear the shoes with very plain clothes, since the heel is already the detail. And I would skip a strap that sits tight across the toes, because it makes a low heel feel like a punishment. The best kitten heels are the ones you forget about halfway through the night. If you are still thinking about your feet at nine, they are the wrong pair.
