The £2.50 Party Shoes That Make Me Feel Like Carrie Bradshaw

I blame the sensible shoes of my childhood because I doubt I would be so drawn to the most impractical heels if I hadn’t spent my formative years clumping along in stiff, buckled flats.

I’m pulled like a magnet to anything with a celestial shimmer or adorned with precarious diamante or (vegan) feathers. The less likely it is to survive rain the more likely I am to want them. Carrie Bradshaw is the Patron Saint of my school of shoe shopping. She didn’t teeter, she strode through life in vertiginous Manolo’s like they were as comfortable as a pair of chunky ‘Dad trainers’.

With party season approaching faster than Dorothy could click her heels, I’ve been on high alert for fabulous footwear. I’ve looked at all the old favourites - ASOS, Topshop, Net-A-Porter, you name it - but it was in the most unexpected place that I found a challengingly vast selection of shoes for less than the price of a Pret lunch.

Looking back at my school days, I didn’t realise then how relevant my Prom heels would be to the autumn winter 18 trends. While trawling through eBay looking for low-cost, high-octane accessories to dress up my post-watershed wardrobe I came across a pair of Ravel heels. With a distinctive heel and ultra-thin straps, they could have been designed by Jacquemus. I kept scrolling. A pair of crystal encrusted Ravel strappy mules looked like Tom Ford for Gucci but cost just £5.

See: eBay's Finest Ravel Party Shoes

The prices are so ludicrously low - £2.75 for a pair of silver and blush mules with a matching bag, which looks like the cult ‘Rachel’ shoulder bag from By Far but in millennial pink.

Before you say ‘eww’ at second-hand shoes, consider the sustainability debate and that cleaning shoes is surprisingly easy. Amazon sells for £19.97 ‘The Original Shoe Cleaner’ by Pink Miracle, which is a non-toxic soap and conditioner designed for most footwear fabrics. However, if the idea of toiling away with a disinfectant doesn’t appeal then luxury repairers The Restoryis an absolutely brilliant resource to have in your locker. They’ll repair and revive broken and tired shoes and handbags.

With labels like Miista, Magda Butrym, Attico and Amina Muaddi making OTT shoes relevant for winter, the post-6pm tide is turning in favour of dressing UP . Sure, jeans and a outré top are still on the going out-out agenda, but there's something quite exhilarating about adding a heel. It signifies the daily grind is 'ovah' (at least for that evening). If you struggle to last a night in heels, adjust the height you're buying as petite kitten heels are just as alluring for AW18.

Catch me on the dance floor cutting shapes in a pair of shoes so cheap I can justify that Uber home.