You Probably Wore Court Heels On A Night Out In 2012, And Now They’re Back

For a certain subset of Millennials, a pair of court heels was a rite of passage that is best left in the past. Sold as something of a multi-tasker, you probably still remember the blisters from wearing them on nights out, as a bridesmaid and for work, swapping them over for commuter trainers when your toes couldn’t take it any longer. The ‘It’ celebrities of today, unlike you and I, obviously have a collectively short memory when it comes to court heels. They haven’t just been wearing them on the red carpet but to run errands. Yes, the uncool classic of your shoedrobe is somehow the surprise hit of autumn 2023.

Like bandage dresses and boot-cut jeans, the trend can be traced back to the wardrobes of the OG WAGs. VB, for example, styled her pointed-toe pair with a hot pink pencil dress and a Birkin. It then caught on in royal circles. The Princess of Wales never met a court heel she couldn’t get on board with (seriously, by our approximation she has nine different pairs just from Gianvito Rossi).

Back in 2012, the court heel was embraced by the Kardashian/Jenners. With all of them – aside from cool-girl Kendall Jenner – opting for court heels in velvet for a fashion show. Kendall has obviously seen the error of her ways, however, because lo and behold, she too has worn court heels. Spotted out and about in a hot take on the LBD, the model paired the look with none other than black court heels by Bottega Veneta.

Jennifer Lawrence went more lo-fi, slipping hers on with the easy, breezy combination of a tank top, an unbuttoned shirt and a pair of wide-legged slacks. She could have worn exactly the same look with trainers but the pointed toe somehow makde everything look sharper. At the other end of the scale, Tracee Ellis Ross wore a fabulous see-through stiletto with a sheer LBD. Loewe’s latest campaign also stars a terrific pair of court heels and one Taylor Russell.

It helps that the rehabilitated court heel has so many delicious iterations. Lawrence’s kitten-heeled version is Celine. Sofia Richie has been repeat-wearing a pair from The Row. Kylie Jenner’s favourite is by Lanvin. Victoria Beckham also makes a mean court heel, naturally, while you can find wearable versions from Aeyde (7.5cm), Arket (4cm) and Zara (6.7cm).

The final mention goes to COS, who has a particularly brilliant wedge-heeled court shoe in sumptuous cream. If the celebrity endorsements aren’t enough to convince, perhaps the thought of not having to worry about the state of your pedicure will.

SHOP: The Best Court Heels