Kate Moss has a pair. Heidi Klum has a pair. And soon Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington will have a pair too, because Steve Madden, who makes these gladiator sandals, promised to send her a pair if she won an Olympic Gold Medal. Rebecca won gold in the 400m freestyle this week, so it looks like the company will have to come good on their promise.
They won't be the only shoes the swimmer gets as a result of her victory. Speaking to The Times this week, Rebecca, a self-confessed shoe-addict, said: "Well, I was promised some Jimmy Choo shoes if I win, so that's one pair ... and my mum's promised to get me another pair of Christian Louboutin shoes."
An athlete who swims for shoes - now there's a motivation I can understand!
Related: More shoe news
I don't know how much you normally spend on hosiery, but my habit of laddering even the thickest denier within minutes would definitely put me off paying £60 for a pair of tights. That's how much you'll pay for these floral patterned ones by Chloe, and although I haven't seen these in person, and so can't vouch for the quality, I'd venture to suggest that a large part of that cost comes from the Chloe name alone.
I like the pattern, and despite mourning the end of summer, am secretly looking forward trying out some of the new breed of patterned tights we've been seeing come into the stores recently, but I think I'm going to have to wait for a high street copy to become available first. If you can't wait that long, you can get these ones at Net-a-Porter.
Related: More socks and tights
Ruffles and bows: it's a combination that could all too easily go horribly, horribly wrong, but I think Faith have managed to avoid accusations of twee-ness with these Stogo ankle boots, which remain just the right side of feminine. The light grey colour and small heel are in their favour, and I'm liking the black version of these, too. They're dressy enough for evenings out, but still restrained enough to wear to work, and the cute little bow on the front finishes them off nicely.
They're £80 at Faith.co.uk
Related: Sequined 'Alburto' ballet flats from Faith | Faith Dran sandal | Faith's red sake ankle boots
I actually wear flats a lot now that I live in London - the amount of walking you do in this city is ridiculous! However, the ratio of heels to flats that sit in my wardrobe suggests otherwise - and is in fact a bit on the impractical side. But isn't it always more tempting to buy a pretty pair of heels than a dull pair of practical flats?
Well, not in this case. These French Connection Danielle flats are sweet, colourful and yes, practical. I love the versatile colour-combination, which means they will fit in with pretty much anything you already have in your wardrobe. Plus it's not hard to love the cute gold bauble decoration and bow. At £65 they're hardly going to break the bank either, so you can get that same smug feeling you get when you purchase some totally lust-worthy heels. And your poor, abused feet will thank you too!
Related: French Connection's mustard T-bar peep-toes | French Connection peep toe flats
This particular style of Mary Jane, with a narrow strap low on the foot, has to be my very favourite. It's somehow more elegant than the versions where the strap sits across the bridge of the foot and, of course, the narrow stiletto heel helps too.
These shoes come from Warehouse, which was a little bit of a surprise to me: I love Warehouse's clothes, but their shoes have been nice, but nothing particularly special up until now. At £60, though, these are good value for a shoe you'll get a whole lot of wear out of.
Related: Topshop printed Mary Jane summer shoe | Prada flower-heel Mary Jane | Round buckle Mary Jane stilettos
These multi-textured courts with faux snakeskin effect from Bertie put a fun and quirky spin on the traditional Mary-Jane and will add a bit of extra glamour to smart or evening wear.
I love the way the ankle strap curves around to the very back of the heel, giving the shoe a sophisticated, structured look, while the cone heel brings them into line with most of the season's trends. Cute! They're available for £85 at ASOS.
Related: 'Attention' wedge pump from Bertie | Bertie's 'aggressive' metallic courts
Friday night not complete without a generous dose of bling? Well, these 'Tiaamii' sandals from Moda in Pelle should be sparkly enough for even the most magpie-like of you. The diamante and jewel adornments cover almost all of the t-strap, making these real party shoes. Well, it's not like you're going to be able to wear them anywhere else, is it? They're £90 at Moda in Pelle, and if you're going to wear them, I think a dress with a little bit of restraint to it could be a good idea to try and balance things out.
Related: Faith's gold strappy Lahiki sandals | Georgina peep toe pumps by L.A.M.B | Christian Louboutin's Very Noeud Slingbacks
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