10 Shoes Elegant Ladies Never Wear

Elegant women avoid shoes that are chunky, plastic, flashy, or overtly sexy: chunky sneakers, platforms, plastic sandals, rhinestoned or big-bowed heels, gladiator sandals, very high heels, frumpy comfort shoes, cork-footbed sandals, shearling or lace-up winter boots, and visibly branded red-soled heels. Each one has a lighter, more understated alternative.

This list comes from what my grandmother taught me on summers in the south of France, and from what I saw women wear during my years as a lawyer on the Champs-Élysées.

Here are ten shoes you will never see an elegant woman wear, with a more elegant alternative for each.

Why don't elegant women wear chunky sneakers?

For two reasons: the material and the shape. They are made of plastic, a cheap material, and their chunky design creates a bottom-heavy silhouette that sits at odds with elegance, which leans on lightness. Comfortable and popular as they are, they weigh the whole look down.

If you love a sneaker, choose one with very simple, straight lines instead, which reads as timeless and pairs with almost anything.

French elegance is about not putting your wealth in front of others.

Why avoid platform heels?

Because they read as overtly sexy, and elegant women make themselves attractive by suggestion rather than display. Notice how a woman in high-rise jeans and a shirt can look striking without being sexy at all: the jeans define her waist and lengthen her legs, the shirt squares her shoulders, and a little collarbone shows. That quiet suggestion is the elegant kind of attractive, and a platform works against it.

To lengthen the leg without a platform, a lovely trick is to wear heels in the same colour as your skin, which extends the line of the leg seamlessly.

Why don't elegant women wear plastic sandals?

For the same reason as the chunky sneaker: plastic is a cheap material that never reads as elegant. The only exception is a flip-flop on the beach or in the sand, and moulded rubber clogs, whatever their charm, sit firmly outside the elegant register.

Instead, a classic leather or vegan-leather slip-on goes with anything, and if you need to walk a great deal, the simple flat sandals French women favour enhance the foot while staying comfortable.

Why avoid flashy heels with rhinestones or bows?

Because each element pulls away from elegance. Flashy colours read as energetic and poppy rather than understated, rhinestones give a slightly showy, television-glamour feel, and big bows, though they can be done elegantly, borrow the codes of a little girl, which on a grown woman reads as an unintended kind of sexy rather than refined.

If you love a pop of colour on a shoe, put it on a very classic design and keep the rest of the outfit classic; and for reliably elegant options, a ballerina with a small heel, a pointed mule, or any heel with a black toe works with almost anything you wear.

Why don't elegant women wear gladiator sandals?

Because the mesh and the lacing read quickly as a certain overt sexiness rather than the suggested kind an elegant woman is after.

If lacing suits your personality, keeping it low around the ankle is far more delicate, and if you love the look itself, the timeless flat sandals that are a French staple are a lovely alternative.

Why avoid very high heels?

Because a high heel, even in an elegant colour, carries an overtly sexy connotation in most people's minds. The rule my mother taught me is to stay under about seven centimetres: from two to seven you are in elegant territory, and seven without a platform is still comfortable to walk in, whereas beyond that you end up on your toes with an awkward walk.

It is also worth knowing that the thinner the heel, the sexier it reads, and the wider the heel, the more elegant, so a lower, slightly wider heel is the safest elegant choice.

Why don't elegant women wear frumpy comfort shoes?

Because the sensible, slightly frumpy comfort shoe, much as it is loved for its ease, does not create a feeling of lightness or polish; it tends to make people smile fondly rather than take notice. My own mother, who taught me a great deal about elegance, also loves her comfort, so I say this with affection.

Happily, you can have both. A simple white sneaker works, and there are now brands making genuinely elegant, timeless shoes that are as comfortable as slippers, which are the ideal replacement for a frumpy comfort shoe.

Why avoid chunky cork-footbed sandals?

Because they are simply too chunky for a graceful silhouette, weighing down the line of the foot.

If you love the buckled look, choose a slimmer buckled sandal; if you want real comfort for lots of walking, a neater flat sandal holds the foot well; and if you need genuine support, some barefoot-style comfort brands make more elegant options.

Why don't elegant women wear Uggs or lace-up winter boots?

Because both work against an elegant line. Shearling boots are chunky and give the foot a cartoonish shape that drags the silhouette down, and lace-up boots, for all their appeal, carry that same slightly sexy note through the lacing.

Instead, match the boot to your winter. For a mild, Paris-style winter, a simple, timeless boot is perfect, with a fluffy lining if your feet get cold, and I relied on exactly that as a broke student at the Sorbonne. For a genuinely harsh winter, a sturdier boot you can walk through snow in, kept as minimal in design as possible, keeps you both warm and elegant.

Why avoid heels with a signature red sole?

For two reasons. The bright red sole itself carries a sexy connotation an elegant woman would rather not borrow, and paired with black it tips further, into an almost fetish register. Beyond that, the whole point of a visible red sole is to be seen and recognised as expensive, and French elegance rests on the opposite instinct: not putting your wealth in front of other people.

The simplest alternative is any shoe without the red sole. If you truly love the pair, the flats are far more understated, and if the heels mean a great deal to you, wear them with a completely tonal outfit so the shoe becomes the single, deliberate pop.