Afternoon delight

It’s the last day of June, a glorious sunny Saturday, and your shoe blogger has spent it in a darkened cinema. Watching the Met Opera perform Wagner’s Das Rheingold, as you do. (Seemed like a good idea when I was booking it, two months ago.) After several hours of Sturm, Drang, and Bryn Terfel with a Phil Oakey-style fringe, a change of pace is called for. So thank the lord I’m stepping out onto King’s Road, to be dazzled not only by the sunshine but also by some very fabulous footwear. 

For starters, these wonderful blue suede wedges (above.) The girl wearing them laughed, “It’s a day for photography!” Hardly surprising she was getting snapped, as she had a very cool look going on (note the black pedi.)

More great suede wedges, above, this time with from Aldo. Shoehorn has just been admiring her candy pink nail polish, and noting that it’s an unusual but very successful choice with cyan, magenta and olive. A flash of cork on the soles, a neatly buckled ankle strap – altogether a very sharp look for summer in the city.

These blue denim t-bars, above, with black wedge soles, are from Kurt Geiger. A little more covered up, they are still totally on the money for a summer weekend and work brilliantly with her loose light jeans.

I also love these dark navy suede wedges – very simple, very chic, with a classic cherry pedi. “They get more comments than any other shoes I own,” according to their wearer. And where from? Would you believe it – Clarks.

From the great British high street to designer central: these wonderful plaited tan leather and raffia wedges(above) are Michael Kors. Very sophisticated for an upmarket Saturday look.

More tan leather, above – and these are also Clarks. The wedge heel with broad stitching and wide wrap-straps give them an old-fashioned glamour, a bit fifties starlet on holidays, especially teamed with deep wine-toned nail colour.

Stylish wedges were clearly the order of the day, but not the only game in town. These sage green patent slingbacks with wooden platforms and stack heels are from Sergio Rossi. They looked completely brilliant with khaki linen parachute pants. 

Condé steps out

On a simmering hot summer's evening in Moscow, there is no better spot to chill out than Red October on the Moskva river. This former Soviet chocolate factory has been converted into a complex of cutting-edge art galleries, bars, clubs and restaurants, sprawling over a peninsula just southwest of the Kremlin. Cut to a midweek evening at the end of July, when we picked our way through the gridlocked traffic on the embankment, en route to the roof deck at Gipsy Bar and the Condé Nast Russia summer soiree.

Plenty of fab footwear, naturellement. Like these super-cool Michael Kors black leather sandals with gold buckles (above), accessorised to perfection with fire-engine red midi-skirt and pedi.

Vogue beauty queen Rita rocked up in studded suede Valentino stilettos (above). The owner of the beautiful and elegant tattoo below took advantage of the heat to display it in all its glory in transparent designer jelly shoes by Sonia Rykiel.  

Flats vs heels? A pretty even split, but tootsies were revealed in a rainbow of striking summery hues, including turquoise (above) and the deep mauve of Voguette Katya (below).

Popping out of the office at lunchtime, I'd clocked a fantastic pair of strappy black bondage heels on the street. So I was delighted to encounter them again at the party, and to find out that their owner (below) is from GQ and the shoes are from Alexander Wang. No wonder I'd been smitten on Kamergersky Pereulok.

It's always a pleasure to spot a pair of Melissas, and these (below) are original and charming – and look exactly as if they were designed for relaxing on a summer deck with a mojito somewhere out of shot.

Voguette Olesya has a connoisseur's eye for a heel and is a canny shopper to boot (see more Olesya at the Vogue Art Party here). Love these teal suede cage bootees, not to mention her excellent green pedi.

Last word goes to the chaps, for a change. Ivan in his Armani brogues shows exactly how to look stylish whilst flashing just the right amount of ankle to keep cool – in every sense of the word.