45 ideas from the shoes area of Her Closet. Nothing is sold here — pick anything up and it opens a pre-filled search at the retailer.
Fifteen kinds of shoe is a useful illustration of a hard truth: footwear is the single worst surprise gift in this house.
Shoe sizing is inconsistent between brands and between styles from the same brand, width varies, and a shoe that is nearly right is a shoe that is never worn. If you are buying without knowing the size — and the width, and how they run — you are buying a return. There is no way to write around that.
What this bay is genuinely good for is two things. The first is a gift certificate or a shopping trip, where the shoes are the occasion rather than the parcel. The second is the case where you know exactly, because it has been said out loud: the boots she has mentioned twice, the trainers with the hole in them.
Beyond that, use the bay to narrow the category rather than to buy the item. Knowing whether the answer is a boot, a flat or a heel is most of the work.
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Stiletto Pumps
The classic court shoe is the one every wardrobe is assumed to contain and many do not, because the pair bought years ago for a wedding is uncomfortable and lives in a box. A well-made pair with a padded sole is a different object. This is a hard surprise gift — sizing in heels is less forgiving than in flats, and comfort varies enormously between brands — so buy it only with the size and brand known.
Block Heels
A block heel is the practical answer to wanting height without the evening being ruined, and it is the heel most likely to be worn repeatedly rather than kept for occasions. That makes it the better gift of the two if you are choosing. It also copes with grass and cobbles, which matters for weddings and garden parties. Still a sized item — but block heels run truer and forgive a half size more readily than a stiletto does.
Slingback Heels
The slingback is the summer-to-office shoe: open enough for warm weather, structured enough for work, and it stays on the foot better than a mule. It suits somebody who has the flats and the evening heels and nothing in between. The strap is adjustable on most pairs, which gives it a little more tolerance than a court shoe — though the length of the foot still has to be right, and no strap fixes that.
Ballet Flats
Ballet flats are back in every wardrobe and are the most-walked-in shoe in this bay. They are also the ones that wear out fastest, which is the useful thing to know: the pair she owns is probably scuffed at the toe and she has not replaced them because they still technically work. A good leather pair with a proper sole is a real upgrade. Sizing is more forgiving than in a heel, but width still matters and flats run narrow.
Pointed Flats
The pointed flat does the job of a court shoe for anybody who has stopped wearing heels — it lengthens the leg, reads as smart, and can be walked in all day. It is the single most useful smart shoe for someone with a commute. Worth knowing when you buy: pointed toes take up length that the foot does not use, so they often need a half size up compared with a round-toe flat from the same brand.
Loafer Flats
Loafers are the most weather-tolerant smart shoe here and the one that works with trousers, jeans and a midi skirt equally. They suit somebody who dresses simply and wants one shoe that covers most of the week. They also break in properly rather than just wearing out, which is a real argument for spending. Leather-soled ones are lovely and lethal in rain; a rubber sole is the practical choice for anyone actually walking outside.
Leather Sneakers
A clean white leather trainer is the most-worn shoe in most wardrobes and the one most in need of replacing, because the whole appeal is that it is clean and they never are after a year. That makes it an unusually safe gift: the style is known, the brand is probably known, and the size is the same as the last pair. It is also one of the few shoes here somebody will genuinely wear the day it arrives.
Retro Runners
The retro runner is the casual shoe that goes with jeans and does not pretend to be sportswear. It suits somebody who finds white leather trainers a bit stark, and it is more forgiving of scuffs and weather. These tend to run narrow and short — the sizing on retro silhouettes is the least reliable in this bay — so this is a gift for a known brand and a known size, or a gift voucher and a Saturday.
Platform Sneakers
A platform trainer is a style choice rather than a staple, which makes it the wrong surprise gift unless you have specifically seen her wear them. For the person who does, they are excellent: the height of a heel with none of the discomfort, and they carry a whole outfit. If you are not certain, this is the entry in this bay to skip in favour of the plain leather pair.
Ankle Boots
An ankle boot is the hardest-working shoe in an autumn wardrobe and the one most likely to be replaced every couple of years, because it takes the most weather. That is a good gift profile. It also goes with everything on the rail in this room, which not much else here does. Sizing is fussier than it looks — a boot has to clear the instep as well as fit the foot — so this needs the size known, not guessed.
Knee-High Boots
Knee-highs are the statement boot and a serious present, both in price and in how visible they are. The complication nobody mentions is calf width: the shaft has to fit, and standard boots do not fit every leg. Brands increasingly sell wide-calf versions, and it matters more than the shoe size does. This is a gift to buy together unless you have been told exactly what to get, in which case it is a very good one.
Chelsea Boots
The Chelsea is the most forgiving boot here, because the elastic panel absorbs a lot of the fit problem that laces and zips create. It is also the boot that works in rain, on a commute, and with almost anything. That combination makes it the one boot in this bay that can survive being a surprise, provided the shoe size is right. A rubber-soled version is the one to buy for anybody who walks to work.
Strappy Sandals
Strappy sandals are the occasion shoe — a wedding, a holiday, a summer evening — which means they are bought rarely and often in a hurry, and the pair in the wardrobe was bought in a hurry. A good pair is a genuinely welcome gift for anyone with an event coming up. Multiple thin straps are more adjustable than a single band, which buys a little tolerance, but the length of the foot still has to be right.
Flat Slides
Slides are the least risky shoe in this entire bay: no closure, no fit through the instep, and a half size either way is barely noticeable. That alone makes them worth knowing about, because everything else here is a sizing minefield. They suit a holiday, a summer, or somebody who lives somewhere warm. A leather pair reads as an actual gift where a rubber pair reads as poolside equipment — worth the difference.
Espadrille Wedges
The espadrille wedge is the summer shoe that gives height without the sinking-into-grass problem, which makes it the standing recommendation for outdoor weddings and garden parties. It suits somebody with a summer of events ahead. The jute sole is the thing to check: the good ones are properly stitched and last several seasons, and the cheap ones come apart in one. Sizing tends to run true, which is more than can be said for most of this bay.
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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Nothing is sold here — every pick opens a pre-filled search at the retailer, where the real listings, prices and stock live. How this works.