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How We’re Wearing The Wedge Heel Now
Because you only wear a stiletto to an outdoor wedding once, it's time to embrace the second coming of the stacked sandal.
If you’re reading this while fidgeting with your crop top or fruitlessly pulling up your low-rise jeans, I have good news: the next instalment of the unending Noughties revival comes with practical appeal in abundance.
The wedge has returned, just in time for the season of al-fresco celebrations. When Chloé’s new creative director, Chemena Kamali, framed her first front row with a string of A-listers all clad in identical chunky wooden sandals (10/10 for the marketing nous) we knew the wedge revival would soon be upon us. Now, sculptural sandals and sky-high heels are hitting the shelves at a rapid rate, with brands spanning style tribes and price points vying for a spot in your new-season rotation.
Are you recoiling in horror? Please, don’t. If you are old enough to have sprained your ankle in a pair of vertiginous cork mules during the long hot summer of 2004, it’s understandable that you may not be jumping for joy at the news of the wedge resurrection. But while elevated espadrilles and canvas ankle ties are very much back on the shelves this year, you don’t have to go there to take part in the trend. In fact, the best wedge sandals of 2024 are refreshingly modern and reassuringly sturdy.
For the directional dresser, Rick Owens’ anti-wedge, curved cleverly at the back, will keep you upright on uneven terrain without ruining the slick lines of a slinky column dress. The arched silhouette is sculptural yet sleek (and already diffusing onto the high st via Reformation and Zara. For something (slightly) more low-key, see Cult Gaia's statement-making architectural wedges, which will work perfectly with neutral hues and working-week denim. Similarly, Mango has dropped an elegant cream leather sandal that places the wedge in a modern, minimalist new guise.
So wherever you're going this spring, there's likely a wedge sandal to suit. Here, see the styles the ELLE UK team will be wearing.
The slender straps on Reformation's directional sandals are precisely placed to elongate your leg, rather than cut you off at the ankle. They'll work especially well with boyish tailoring and monochrome, asymmetric dresses.
From the brand that started it all, these knotted sandals are set on a reflective gold heel that'll catch the light under the sun.
With a small, slim wedge heel and caged straps, Mango's wedges are a wholly contemporary option for low-key dates and all-day weddings. They're available in cream, too.
Nothing makes a statement quite like a Rick Owens Cantilever heel. For Spring, the cult designer's signature shoe comes in the form of a slender-strapped sandal.
Every influencer's best-kept secret, Charles & Keith makes statement shoes that won't cost more than your rent. These patent point-toe slingbacks are set on a smoky perspex wedge heel, bringing an unexpected edge to everyday looks.
In sweet lemon-yellow leather, Khaite's Marion sandals are possibly the year's most elegant take on the wedge. Wear them with breezy silk separates and flowing, ankle-skimming dresses for the full quiet-luxury effect.
Perhaps the most versatile of the bunch, St. Agni's cream canvas wedges can be slipped on with languid linen separates, printed wedding-guest dresses and slick black tailoring alike.
Combining a leather thong strap with a hollow wedge heel, Zara's reassuringly comfortable sandals tick off two major footwear trends in one.
Made from foiled silver leather, Cult Gaia's Yara sandals will make a classic black dress feel fresh and new.
Trust me: you'll wear these bold yet versatile patent-leather wedges all summer long. The perspex straps cleverly elongate your silhouette, so they'll look right with both midi dresses and wide-legged trousers.
Clear perspex is combined with polished silver in Zara's futuristic heels.
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