Kitten Heels Are SS24’s It-Shoe – Here’s How To Wear Them Now
The ’90s called and kitten heels are back, says FRANCINE HEATH. Here, we explore SS24’s most covetable pairs and their runway-approved styling tricks
Before the SS24 shows solidified the kitten heel’s status as one of the hottest items to own, diminutive pairs had been soft-launched as a micro-trend. Now, in great news for our feet, low heels have overtaken vertiginous pairs to sit at the top of every fashion editor’s wish list.
Even though kitten heels were a hit in the ’50s – and saw even more love in the ’60s after Audrey Hepburn slipped on a pair with her iconic LBD in Breakfast at Tiffany’s – it’s a heavy dose of ’90s nostalgia (an era that saw the kitten make its way onto the red carpet and into the wardrobes of Supers) that’s driving the shoe’s current revival.
Now, models in every major city have stepped out wearing heels no higher than two inches for the spring/summer ’24 shows. On Sabato De Sarno’s inaugural Gucci runway in Milan, kitten heels came slick and fast, with ultra-pointy toes, glossy finishes and logo embellishments. See the ‘Demi’ slingbacks in our edit, which are topped with twinkly crystals in the shape of the ‘GG’ monogram. Take your cues from the brand’s Ancora show and wear them with everything from teeny-tiny shorts to figure-hugging leather skirts in fresh burgundy, blue and green.
Another way to inject ’90s style into your shoe collection is to look for minimalist silhouettes and lustrous fabrics. The Row’s barely-there ‘Harlow’ sandals are crafted from shiny black leather with slender crossover straps, while Jil Sander’s leather pumps are cool and clean-lined in cream – both pairs work beautifully with relaxed tailoring. Elsewhere, Loulou Studio’s ‘Elys’ kitten heels from our NET SUSTAIN edit come in a delicate pale-blue satin, echoing Gwyneth Paltrow’s memorable look on the opening night of Hamlet in 1995. Team them with barrel-leg jeans in any wash for a modern look, but loop back to the ’90s with a chocolate-brown pedicure.
Kitten heels are also a gateway into two viral trends currently blowing up on social media: red accessories and the mob-wife aesthetic. Mirror Grece Ghanem by adding a pop of rouge to your outfits with Alaïa’s ‘Coeur’ pumps (sweetly named after the design’s heart-shaped patch), or choose Saint Laurent’s leopard-print kitten heels, which wouldn’t look out of place in a remake of The Godfather. Style them with a wild-cat coat and a burgundy bag for the perfect new-season finish.