Last time I listed all my favorite flat shoes from the spring 2013 collections. Today, it’s the mid heel shoes. I have complained in the past that there are not enough mid heel shoes in the shops and it’s definitely true that the difference between the amount of mid heels and high heels is significant. Style.com listed 303 mid heel shoes while there were close to 1700 high heels listed.
Still, I was pleasantly surprised by the fantastic range of mid heel shoes designers have created and I found it tough to make only a small selection, so I will spoil you with quite a few fabulous examples.
It remains to be seen of course how many affordable shoes we will see in the more mainstream shops, but I am quietly optimistic.
I also increasingly believe in investing more in one pair of fabulous high quality shoes. As I discussed in my article on how to dress if you have no time, a statement accessory or shoe can really make a difference to an otherwise basic outfit. If you don’t go for a shoe that is too trendy (like the black and white ballerinas I wore there) you can wear them for years. Good shoes are definitely worth investing your fashion budget into.
I have been a big fan of larger bulky heels for years, no matter what the trends are. You probably know yourself quite well by now. I find them easier to wear and more comfortable. Stick to the type of shoe, you know you love and buy some great ones. I’m glad they are featured quite a lot in this year’s collections.
Although many of the shoes featured above are not yet available in stores online, here are some of my favorite shoes from these same designers that are!
Are you going to wear a lot of mid heel shoes this summer? Which is your favorite?
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I am so the opposite and don’t like the chunky heels, though they are in the stores for spring. I feel so much more feminine in a small heel. I love it when their are multiple styles so we can all find our own comfort zone!
I guess my style preference is to be more edgy and trendy rather than feminine, so I like to wear them with skirts to give them an edgier look. They are also so much more comfortable to walk in. But of course, we should all choose the shoes that make us happy.
I saw the upcoming trend of these low, cuban style heels and while I am so glad of a lower heel, I am a bit worried they are ageing. Love the kitten heels tho!
Thanks Sylvia, this was great!
I think it depends on the style you choose Paula. If you go for hip colour combinations or something really funky like the Fendi or the Rupert Sanderson ones they look very young and hip. My feeling is that although I abide by some “rules” for myself to clothes, there are no limits to what you can do for shoes. The hipper, the better!
Please keep telling us how wise it is to invest in just one pair of amazing shoes instead of lots of less expensive ones. There are a few of us on this blog who can use the support (yes dear Greetje – you know you and I have the same shoe addiction). LOL!
The nude Alexander Wangs (#13) were the first pair of shoes to go on my Spring wish list. I can not resist ankle wraps. Now I am crazy about the white Wangs at the top of this page too. I also love those cobalt Loeffer Randalls. And I have never tried on Casadeis but I keep hearing they are wonderful. So many shoes and only two small feet.
Haha Suzaane. Will you listen? At least it will keep your closets nice and organised too! I DO like a nice overview. Will I listen to myself, that is the question….
I like almost every single shoe Alexander Wang has designed this year. They are gorgeous! I also love the collection of arty shoes for Nicholas Kirkwood!
That Alexander Wang is indeed a designer who is hard to resist. I know that, like Suzanne, I will be going on buying shoes, one pair after another. The flesh is weak.
I have a tremendous self discipline, just not in this area.
“The flesh is weak” when it comes to shoes and bags. Hanging my head in shame – but hey! Looking down I can see how cute my shoes are! Okay, never mind.
I’ve entertained myself in many a boring meeting by admiring my cute shoes!
You have got to check out the Kate Spade runway! My editor friend posted a picture of a pair of nude heels with black ankle straps with charms hanging off of them! Awesome! I really want them (even though I think the heels are quite high) but they may be hazardous to my health as I would continuously be looking at my feet instead of where I was walking! They are just so cute.
I saw those….so cute!! Yes, you’d have to try to only admire them when you are sitting!
hahaha, looking down I can see how cute my shies are… LOL
You are an opimist. Always seeing the bright side of things. I am with you and I will use this joke. Stealing copyright here.
LOL! You, Rita, and I all have “Shoe Addition”! And we are leaning toward “Bag Addition” territory too I think.
But there is enough darkness in the world – some of us have to keep the sun shining any way we can! 
It’s a tough job but someone has got to do it.
Besides, we have to keep the economy afloat. I am willing to do that singlehandedly, but will accept help… lOL
At 6′ 2″, this is music to my ears! Or candy for my eyes?
I love a chunky, short heel. And will be embracing this trend wholeheartedly!
Or maybe candy for your feet?
So will I!
I favor spectator pumps.
Yes, they are very nice too…
Ooh…I love those cute Pollini’s. I’ve never worn that brand so I’ll have to find it! I like a chunky heel in a sandal, and tend to stick to the thinner heels in a pump or sling-back (like the O Jour or Oscar de la Renta). Wedges are always great in a pump or peep-toe. I walk ridiculously fast, so definitely need a shoe for high speed and stability no matter the shape of the heel.
I’m soooooo looking forward to spring shoe shopping! 
Oh Rita – you are truly one of us now! The transition is complete! Hahaha! The Pollinis are very cute! I hope you can find them.
Yes, me too. And I’m the same I feel weird in shoes where I can’t maintain my usual fast pace. (my husband gets very impatient too….)
I walk fast as well – this is because my mother walked fast and, as we walked everywhere when I was a child, I had to walk fast to have any sort of conversation with her!
Rita! Have you seen the L.K. Bennett “Parrot Heels”?!! Oh. My. Gosh. They remind me of those embroidered boots you and I fell in love with last Fall – only better! You have got to see them.
I love that everyone is a fast-walker!
Thanks, Suzanne! I’m humbly honored.
I just looked at the LK Bennett website but didn’t see the “Parrott Heels”. I’ll check Style.com next. They sound great!! Oh yes, those boots were sooooooo pretty! Still pretty pricey even when they went on sale, though (and luckily my size went quick…LOL!).
I needed a little retail therapy today before going into work tonight, and I ended up buying a fushia hooded, zip-up sweater in kind of a crochet weave, with little natural beads on the hood strings (from Athleta). The color will be sure to burn some retinas and the weave and beads gave me a slightly boho feel. It’s cotton, so I will wear it as soon as the weather gets a bit warmer with maybe a khaki skirt. *Excited*
Are you getting the gigantic storm tonight/tomorrow? Stay warm and safe if you are in its path!
Suzanne, I just found them (had to google!). WOW!!! I love them. I wonder if they’ll make a style with a slightly lower heel? I LOVE the embroidery…very gypsy.
Something with a 2-3″ heel would be perfect for me. I like the ankle strap and little pom-poms, too!! Thanks for the tip!
Aren’t those shoes amazing?! I do not think I could walk in them either but they are just so pretty. The ankle strap and little pom-poms are what drew me in too.
I looked at the BCBGMaxAzria runway on Style.Com and I am disappointed. I expected color and embroidery and bangles and beads. I guess the Gypsies in Turkey wear black and white. And beanies. But take a look at RedValentino. It is a German Fairytale and I can not imagine the dresses or knee socks on anyone over the age of 5 or 6 but the colors and designs are stunning. When it gets to real life, I bet there will be a few cocktail dresses that will be inspired. I. Must. Not. Look.
Your new hoodie sounds cute! Here’s wishing for warm enough weather to enjoy it. My UPS Driver just told me the snow is coming down at the rate of 1″ per hour 45 minutes West of me. I have red wine and dark chocolate and it is Fashion Week. Let it snow!
Very cute but way too high for me!
Just checked BCBGMaxAzria and thought it was a big mess. They took layering one step too far. Only pinned one look from the whole collection.
Not too crazy about Red Valentino either. Yes, some very nice prints but all a bit too cutesy and overall a very ‘young’ collection. I’m still waiting for the Fireworks!
Hope you survived the storm (and enjoyed the dark chocolate)?
I checked out the BCBGMaxAzria runway looks on Style.com, too. I agree…not exactly what I was hoping for. I, too, was expecting more color, and I thought the patterns were rather harsh instead of pretty and happy. I like the prints in the first 3 looks from RedValentino, and for some reason I’ve always been a sucker for plaids ( I really need to find out is I have Scottish ancetors!), but I agree about the styling being a bit too child-like. I’m off today and tomorrow (yay!) so I’m going to peruse through the rest…and dark chocolate and red wine (well, tea in my case) would be the perfect accompaniment!! Hope you are weathering the storm, OK, Suzanne!
Rita – isn’t that teal and black plaid at RedValentino pretty? I know all of the skirts are SO short but when the looks actually make it into stores I am hoping they will be more wearable.
NY Fashion Week is 2&1/2 days old but I have read two articles that say there is nothing innovative, there is no genuine talent, and everything is black and boring. Sad. The 3 “favorable” trends for F/W13 are longer hem lengths, 2 piece dresses, and lots of leather.
I really liked Jason Wu’s runway. He can do no wrong in my eyes. It is a very romantic look though – hard to translate to a Midwest lifestyle. And I adore Kate Spade’s runway – the hats, bags, and her coats especially. There is a perfectly fitted cream coat with a fur collar that is gorgeous.
We were able to completely “dig out” yesterday and today the sun is shining. It looks like Fairy Land! It is the people in the far Northeast my heart goes out to. Three feet of snow, high winds, and power outages. Scary! But Fashion Week marches on.
Enjoy your days off! Let me know if you see anything you like.
Oh yes, the teal and black is so pretty, and if you look past the knee socks, the shoes are really beautiful. I love the sweater in Look#3 and I like a lot of the bags as well (see Look #18). I’ve gotten through about 1/4 of the shows and so far, and RedValentino is my favorite! I agree about Kate Spade…love the coats, bags, and shoes, and I think those retro looks are kind of fun (even if I can’t see myself in them). I haven’t seen Nanette Lapore yet. I have a skirt and a dress by her and she always has fun things.
I’m happy it’s a nice day and you aren’t buried in snow. The poor NE has really gotten walloped by bad weather these last few months. I hope they have a fabulous spring!
I can see why you and I are attracted to the Valentino looks – one of the few runways that has color and embroidery. And thank you for pointing out the shoes. I did not even “see” them because of the socks.
I am going to wear it with lots of other happy colors too. And I have seen 100s of girls in bright and printed ankle length pants. They are not suppose to be attractive but they are growing on me. With the right pair of shoes they look good on everyone on NY.
Many runways yesterday were so dark and heavy. Wang and Altuzarra were almost identical – right down to the gigantic furry mittens! Every look seems so over-sized and layered. I did like Victoria Beckham’s runway today – more feminine and she had a touch of cobalt and a soft yellow. Her hems are all below the knee. I think that will be something that we will see in the stores. Monique Lhuillier had a lighter collection too but with a lot of emerald and a little red, burgundy, and purple. She had some beautiful metallic prints too.
The collections are dark but the street style is bright! I saw a yellow coat on Aimee Song that was so cheerful that I ordered a bright yellow trench this morning.
I can’t keep up with you guys. Must check out these looks. I was hankering after 7/8th trousers but Sylvia cautioned me about them. Boo hoo!
Hi Lorraine!
Sorry about all of the Fashion Week posts! There are so many shows and I get excited. I think I missed my calling by not having a career in the garment district.
I am so confused about the 7/8 (cropped skinnies, ankle pants) too! Most stylists say to stay far away from them but then I see them in all of the street style posts (on regular people – not models) and they look great! In the last 3 days I have seen animal print, bright floral, leather, and cobalt, yellow, & fuchsia short pants. Most are worn with high heels and lots of skin showing but even the ones that are over ankle boots (so that lots of boot shows but no skin) look fine to me. I have no idea why though. I hope Sylvia will explain this to us.
I just saw the Lela Rose looks and they had the sock thing with heels going on there, too. Maybe I’ll try it.
My feet are always cold! Haha! I did like the color in the Lela Rose looks, and especially liked look #30, the cream and pink dress. Very pretty! You’re right, though…many others are so dark with lots of oversized layers. OMG…those gigantic furry mittens are hilarious!!
I’m glad you’ve noticed that the street style is bright. I wore pink socks with my brown sparky AGL flats today and jeans because I just needed some pink! My husband said it was fine, then I saw a gal in a restaurant with bright pink tights on with her tan pencil skirt and brown booties…really fun! So I felt better about my pink socks.
Your yellow coat sounds great! I haven’t thought of printed pants. I’ll have to try some on and see if I can find a print I like. I saw some cute polka dot jeans at Nordstrom but they were “skinny jeans”, which don’t do me any favors. I need straight or boot cut.
Lorraine, I’m not exactly sure what 7/8 trousers are, actually. I have a couple pair of “shorter than regular length” trousers that his at slightly above my ankle…not sure if those are “capris”, “crops” or “7/8″. The look I think is unflattering is when the bottom of the pants hits at about mid-calf. Since I’m not tall (5′ 4″), that just makes me look squatty. I think showing a little ankle bone is very feminine, especially with flats (think Audrey Hepburn as “Sabrina”). Just try on a bunch of different lengths and see what you like. If you like it, then it works.
You keep on rocking those pink socks Rita. The world can not have too many pink socks.
Lela Rose is amazing. She has restored my faith in F/W13. There are many things from her collection I would happily wear. The pink and cream dress (#30) is probably the most romantic look. Beautiful! I liked #34 too and #19 reminded me of Sylvia. I would wear #8 or #9, and love the peplum on #12. Many women will appreciate the sheer sleeves on #23.
I think you and I have the same idea about what “ankle” (7/8) pants are. In LR’s collection I would say #7 or #10 are just right while #3 are too short and are difficult to wear. I would call those more capri length. If you read this Lorraine, take a look at the Lela Rose runway (on Style.Com) and look at the pants in #3 and then in #7 & #10 and tell us which length is closest to 7/8s.
The “hit” of all runway looks so far is the white and black fur coat at Altuzarra. The Iconic Carine Roitfeld said it is the first piece she is ordering. The PETA people are not going to be pleased. No takers on the “Yeti” mittens yet. Can’t understand why? LOL!
Hi Suzanne and Rita! Don’t apologise for the posts – I didn’t know about style.com until you mentioned it. I love watching the runway shows on Fashion TV when I am abroad on holiday but I can’t get that channel at home! This is as good as Fashion TV! I have looked at Lela Rose and I would say that #10 is what I consider 7/8th. #3 is too short and #7 is too long (or the shoes are flatter). I was really into capri pants and cut offs last year and felt so cool until I read Sylvia’s piece on that topic and realised I probably looked ridiculous!
I can’t quite keep up with all the fashion shows either since I’m holidaying but see the very dark look at Helmut Lang. A lit of interesting but indeed very dark. I’m determined to keep a lot of colour though. Going all black is NOT the way to go.
As for capris etc, I’ve got another article planned on that topic for next wee with some of my views.
I’m not saying, don’t wear them, but be careful. They don’t look good on everyone and do need some special styling. In general the more tapered they are, the better.
“Yeti” mittens….LOL LOL LOL!!!
Thanks for alerting me to Lela Rose Suzanne. I totally agree with you. Great collections!
I also agree with regards to the 7/8 pants / capris.
Looking forward to your article Sylvia. By trial and error I had worked out that tapered = flattering last year and threw out all the horrible leg flapping items!
“Leg flapping”…hahahaha! That’s great, Lorraine. I saw your comment on my e-mail/blackberry as I was leaving work and totally cracked up right in the parking lot! I had a pair of those I got rid of last summer, too. Plus, they were cotton and would get baggy in the knees after a few hours of wear. The combo of flapping around the bottom and saggy knees was pretty hideous!
Mine were linen! I know the look!
Although I love the really feminine Louis Vuitton shoes, I had already decided to look out for some shoes in the style that you favour Sylvia (like the black and white Fendi at the top). It will be great to have a bit of height but also a heel that you can walk in – and look trendy. Here’s hoping there is a good selection in my price range!
I love those Vuittons as well. So trendy with the high contrast and pointy toes. Yes, let’s see what arrives in stores. Just visited Zara and there were definitely blockier heels and some lovely black and white flats!
There was a piece on TV about the B&W trend this morning and they said Zara had quite a lot. I hope to take a look in the next few days.
Thanks for all the recent aricles I am enjoying them and can’t wait to get home to go shopping to find some of those mid heels. I bought a Jim Thompson scarf and trying out different ways to wear it according to your article and found a u tube from Wendy’s lookbook on how to wear scarves in different ways.
Yes, I heard about that video also. Should check it out some time. Great to hear that you are enjoying all the articles!
They all look so fresh and new. It’s exciting to see something different. I think I would choose a neutral colour in an expensive shoe, making it more versatile. At the moment I have very few shoes with heels, having worn mainly trousers over the past few years. All that will change this spring! I’m looking forward to it.
Yes, that is a good idea. That way you can be sure that they last a long time!
I will be wearing high heels mostly, flats for walking and mid heels for… mid walking haha.
I very much like the orange/white Rupert Sanderson and the red Isa Tapia. All very yummy.
You are right that a good pair can last years so choose something not too ostentatious. On the other hand, I found out with my 3 coloured booties that a real eye-catching shoe can update your wardrobe.
Yes, I agree with that as well. I have loved my yellow shows, and they are great whenever I want a pop of colour. I’m also leaning towards adding some eye catching shoes. In the end I’m quite fond of ‘simple’ clothes (also kind of forced up here, due to the super hot weather) but love to spice it up with accessories and shoes!
Sylvia, I just watched ‘The September Issue’ about Anna Wintour and the making of vogue this evening. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I noticed Anna Wintour wears lots of dresses but from what I could see always the same beige sling back shoes with them all.
That’s what I had in mind for this spring/summer, beige shoes that go with all my different dresses and skirts.
Clever and cheap!
Glad you enjoyed the movie.
Interesting, I had not even noticed that….
I absolutely love the DKNY number. Fun, and stylish.
It looks like a very comfortable shoe too…
I wonder if the trend to super-high heels is fading. Was in SFA shopping for the wife for vday and noticed almost all the marked down stuff was 4-5″ heels. Then I see Prada is now peddling low heels as pictured in their NYC stores.
That would be great news!
The one trend I’m VERY excited about this spring is the return to lower heels. I’m not all that excited about the clothing this season, but the shoes! Yes! I will probably buy as deeply as I can into the trend and hope to see it last. I am so over sky high platforms!
Yes, I feel the same. I’m hoping to find some fabulous shoes this season. I have not gone shopping yet. Should find some time soon!
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