How To Find Comfortable Heels According To Sophia Webster

At Sophia Webster’s London Fashion Week showcase, where she presented her autumn winter 18 collection, she divulged the secret every fashion fan has always wanted to know: how to find comfortable heels. Not only do they exist, but they are best sellers for the brand. Go figure.

Surrounded by trophies that Webster and her sister won as childhood dance champions, the designer was here to talk about her AW18 collection. Inspired by camp Baz Luhrmann classic Strictly Ballroom, it was the definition of opulence and embodiment the flamboyance of ballroom dancing. Heels were festooned with fringing, feathers crystals and fruit embellishment (à la Carmen Miranda).

Being a dancer herself, Webster knows that her footwear needs to let the woman wearing them move. ‘Comfort is key really,’ she said, ‘I think when you’re wearing high heels you need to be [comfortable]’. Much of the forthcoming collection relies on three silhouettes: the flat, a strappy stiletto and a caged heel boot and the reason for this is pure comfort. ‘Anything that’s either a caged style or has a strap around the instep, like our ‘Rosalind’ heel, as the strap keeps your foot in place will be dramatically more comfortable’.

As the trend for sneakers rolls on, Webster admitted, ‘once you stop wearing heels and you start wearing flat shoes it’s really hard to get back into them.’ Though there’s (obviously) plenty of Webster-designed party shoes to look forward to this winter, there’s also cheeky slogan handbags and glittering flats to enjoy the glitz without the pain. Highlights included satin pointed pumps in fascia adorned with butterfly wings, micro bucket bags adorned with mini insects and caged booties with puff-ball toes. Subtle? No. Charming? Very.