That Marilyn Monroe spoke a lot of sense. She told us diamonds were a girl’s best friend, that Chanel No 5 was the only acceptable thing to wear in bed, and that the right pair of shoes could help us conquer the world. Of all these, however, it’s the latter that womenfolk have really run with. Well, hobbled and then jumped into the nearest cab with. We all know the intrinsic power those cantilevered inches hold, but just incase we’d forgotten, the humble heel is staging a serious comeback.

After having well and truly usurped the It-bag as the accessory of choice, the statement heel is currently enjoying being celebrated in multimedia form. Coffee table tome High Heels: Fashion, Femininity & Seduction is due for release in October, new documentary God Save My Shoes is to be screened imminently at Paris Fashion Week, even street style snappers have turned their lenses downward of late, perhaps realising that fabulous footwear gets our collective heart racing more than anything else. Just look to editrixes Carine Roitfeld and Emmanuelle Alt – each know it’s a killer shoe that maketh the outfit, often forgoing a bag entirely to create that achingly hip Parisian nonchalance that we all yearn for.
Shoes are pivotal to this Autumn’s trends, too. In fact, never have there been so many must-have heels shoehorned into one season before. Are you a lady? Try Celine’s pointy heeled loafer. A vamp? Choose YSL’s risqué lace-up boots. Individualist? Miu Miu’s glitter peep-toes. Carnaby Queen? Prada’s snakeskin knee-highs. They’re the fastest shortcut to new-season cool you can get. A one-step solution, if you like. And each with the sex appeal, the allure and the drama that a Mulberry Alexa could never have.

From top: Christina Aguilera, Kourtney Kardashian and Fergie’s shoe closets.