THE NEW WAVE OF CINDERELLA SHOES
We love wearing our overpriced shoes. Once we invest in a good pair, we never look back. The splurge logic speaks for itself. We wear our top shelf footwear for years and in the rare moment we are done, we can even resell them. Compare that to the substitutes that never satisfy and barely survive a season. We like to think we are getting the better deal.
Our shoe racks slowly turned into a carefully chosen line up of The Row (who’s private online sale started earlier this week), Khaite (Lara would happily trade a kidney for the Jane flats in Crystal Blue, blame her), Maison Margiela Tabi and anything touched by Phoebe. And now a few new names are catching our eye. They sit in a similar aesthetic universe and price bracket, yet somehow make us want to cheat on our usual favorites.
For even smarter splurging, follow our bi monthly pre-loved and vintage edit Someone Get This Before We Do, where we share, among other gems, a fair share of wishlist worthy footwear.
Christen
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Nina Christen is the behind the scenes genius the shoe world relies on. The Chilean Swiss designer has shaped some of the most influential shoes of the past decade. Think the Lido sandal for Bottega Veneta, the balloon pump for Loewe and a wide range of iconic styles for Celine under Phoebe Philo and The Row. In 2024 she launched her own label Christen, driven by her aim to design shoes that still feel right ten years from now. Pieces that stay relevant across seasons. With a tightly edited range of the perfect (high) heeled sandal, ankle boot, mule and tabi style, she presents a vision that is entirely her own yet somehow feels like it was made for us. Charon dreams over these Tabi leather ballet flats (also in black), and suede big booties (also available for men). Christen’s technical expertise, her access to top luxury suppliers and her instinctive sense of taste give the brand an extraordinary level of quality. Just beginning to claim her legacy under her own name, she doubles as the design director of shoes at Jonathan Anderson’s new Dior, where the SS’26 CD shaped footbed, Dior bow mules, and the enormous flower mules are already settling into future icon status.
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CHRISTEN Tabi leather ballet flats (or here), also in plain black and CHRISTEN Big Booties, also available for men
Jude
The Parisian shoe brand that landed on Kim Kardashian before it even reached the retail floor. JUDE takes its name from a combination of founders Jurgita Dileviciute and Denitsa Bumbarova (who also co-founded shoe brand By Far), and debuted in 2024. Getting their pieces on the right feet turned out to be the secret to building a new footwear label. With only two thousand Instagram followers and a website still under construction, JUDE was already showing up on Nicole Kidman, Kim Kardashian, Tracee Ellis Ross, Chloë Sevigny, Dree Hemingway, Ruth Negga and Kelly Rutherford. Most people had not even heard the name yet. Interest kept growing and the collection began selling before its official launch.
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Manufactured in Portugal using premium Italian and French leathers, JUDE brings a sleek, sensual aesthetic with a refined minimal spirit, a playful colour palette and quiet, unexpected design twists. Their early line includes star styles like the Date mule with its sculpted heel and flattering peep toe, the Fame Pump with its curved heel, and the Paw Mule, an elevated yet comfortable option favoured by Katie Holmes and White Lotus actress Michelle Monaghan. We are ready to dip our feet in the Haze pump (on sale) the Floor ankle boot and this classic black leather loafer.
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CHRISTEN Big boot, JUDE Floor slippers, CHRISTEN Tabi leather knee-high boots and JUDE Floor booties
Herbert Levine
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HERBERT LEVINE Aperitif suede pumps
After sitting quiet for almost fifty years, Herbert Levine is awake again under new creative director Trevor Houston, the man behind The Row jellies and the Khaite Ava pump (he also runs the @OldPrada Instagram account). The New York label, active from 1948 to 1975, created some of the most inventive shoes of its time. The true visionary was Herbert’s wife Beth Levine. Not Margiela (available here), but Beth designed the first topless shoe in 1958 that was sold with a skin-friendly adhesive so you could glue it to the bottom of your foot. Jackie Kennedy, Barbra Streisand, Marilyn Monroe and Cher all wore her work. Nancy Sinatra chose Levine boots for her hit These Boots Are Made for Walkin.
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Herbert Levine Topless shoe in 1958 that was sold with a skin-friendly adhesive so you could glue it to the bottom of your foot.
Houston introduced his first collection with a quiet New York Fashion Week preview last February. The fair and square leather loafers, and gather around leather pumps are our personal favorites, see the collection overview here. Now part of the Luvanis portfolio, Herbert Levine feels like a natural home for him. His private archive of vintage Levine pieces, which make up more than 65% of his full archive, and his eye for the house’s quirks made his appointment feel almost inevitable. His work taps into the brand’s original energy. It is bold, playful, wearable and intelligent.
KATT FORE
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Just launched in Amsterdam last month by Romée van Leeuwaarde, KATT FORE is one of those brands that instantly feels like something you’ve had in your wardrobe for years. It makes sense that the debut focused on square toe boots with a thin block heel that carries you from the office to dinner. Walkable, chic and quietly confident. We’re especially into the Olympe Mid Cut boot (Lara owns the black pair). Great for day to day, it has the perfect height to tuck your pants in for a styling look à la The Row fall 2024-lookbook. The taller full boot version in black or brown and in smooth leather or croc is just as good. Every KATT FORE pair is crafted in a women led factory in Italy, which explains the quiet intuition behind the designs. The softened edges where shoes usually dig in, the kind of structure that moves with you, and the understanding that comfort isn’t a luxury but the starting point. The whole vibe feels effortless, intentional and made for the rhythm of real life.
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KATT FORE Olympe high cut in black, JUDE Cave mid calf boot, HERBERT LEVINE Silhouette 80 leather knee-high boots and CHRISTEN Helix ankle boot
Hagelstam
If we were a high heel, we would be a Hagelstam. The brand filters Nordic minimalism through the softness of Italian craftsmanship and comes from Finnish designer Sandra Hagelstam, who launched her line in March 2024 while she was eight months pregnant. Her shoes are the kind of footwear you slip on and instantly feel cooler and sexier, but in an unfussy way. It all comes down to the proportions. The elongated pointy toe, the quiet femininity of the higher sculptural heel and the touch of edge in the slightly exaggerated shapes that feel intentionally awkward. Almost as if an old Balenciaga white shiny mules and a vintage Prada pump had a lovechild. Hagelstam gets that balance just right. The shoes have presence and an easy confidence that show you dress for yourself first, with comfort in mind, even though most pairs sit at ten centimetres and up. It is footwear for women who know exactly what they want, including the freedom to wear high heels without feeling overly polished.
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