At 50, I gave all my heels to the op shop. At 62, I wore leopard slingbacks to our 40th anniversary. This is a letter about what changed my mind
Six things these leopard slingback heels get right that twelve years of "sensible" flat sandals never did, from a Perth woman who thought her dressing-up days were behind her.
Maggie Whitfield · 62 · Perth, WA · 5 min read
I'm 62, and the day I turned 50 I put every pair of heels I owned into a bag and drove it to the op shop. I'd decided I was done. From then on it was flat sandals in summer, flat boots in winter, and a pair of black ballet flats for weddings and funerals. They were comfortable, and they were fine. But every time I dressed up for something, I'd look down at my feet and feel like the outfit stopped at my ankles. Then this spring Ray booked a table by the river for our 40th wedding anniversary, and Lorraine said, "You are not wearing those flats to your ruby anniversary, Mags." So this is not a review. It's a woman who put heels back on after twelve years, telling you which ones.
The heels I'm writing about are the Veda slingbacks from Perth Boutique, a small Australian boutique that dresses women our age. They're leopard print, which I'd never have chosen myself. Lorraine sent me the link with: "Go on. Be wild for one night." I said absolutely not. Then I looked at them for three days and ordered them. When Perth Boutique later asked if they could share my letter, I said yes, on the condition I could be completely honest in it.
Here's what I worked out after twelve years in flats. I didn't give up heels because I'd stopped wanting to feel dressed up. I gave them up because the ones I owned were too high, too tight across the back, and too much work. Somewhere along the way I'd decided that the feeling of being properly dressed belonged to younger women. It doesn't. You just need a heel that's on your side.
I'd decided that feeling properly dressed belonged to younger women. It doesn't. You just need a heel that's on your side.
The Veda is the first pair of heels I've worn since my fiftieth, and having worn them to our anniversary dinner, to a friend's 60th and to a long Sunday lunch, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
A 7 cm heel, and an honest word about it
I won't pretend these are flats. The heel is 7 cm, slim and elegant, and it gives you that lift that makes you stand differently. That's the whole point. But it isn't one of those towering heels I gave away at 50. I practised round the kitchen for a few evenings before the big night, the way you would with any new heels, and by the anniversary I wasn't thinking about my feet at all. I was thinking about the dessert menu.
Walked from the car to the table without holding Ray's arm. Then held it anyway, because it was our anniversary.
A slingback strap with a little stretch
The back is a single slim strap rather than a closed heel, and it has a slight stretch to it. It holds your heel in without digging into it, and there's no buckle to fiddle with when your reading glasses are in the other room. That strap is the reason I think I got on with these when I couldn't with my old court shoes, which always rubbed the back of my heel raw by dessert.
Checked the backs of my heels in the shower, out of habit. Nothing. Not a mark. Twelve years I could have been doing this.
A pointed toe that does lovely things
The toe is long and pointed, and I'd forgotten what that does to a leg. With a dress or a pair of cropped trousers it carries the line all the way down, so your legs look longer and your whole outfit looks finished. That feeling that the outfit stopped at my ankles? Gone. It finishes at the tip of a leopard-print toe.
The waitress said, "I love your shoes." I said, "I'm 62." She said, "I know, that's why I love them." I'm still thinking about that.
Leopard print that goes with everything
This is the part I was most nervous about, and the part I was most wrong about. Leopard turns out to behave like a neutral. It goes with black, with navy, with cream, with denim, with red. It's bold enough to feel special, but it isn't loud the way bright pink would be. The finish has a soft, brushed look to it, and in the evening light it looks far more expensive than it was.
Wore them with my plain navy dress and jeans the next week. Ruby looked at my feet and said, "Nanna, you're wild." Highest compliment I've had all year.
A cushioned insole for the long evening
Inside there's a cushioned insole, and for me it made the difference between a pair of heels I could stand in for photos and a pair I could actually wear for a whole evening. Dinner, the walk along the river afterwards, and one slow dance in the restaurant when the band played our song. I can only speak for my own feet, of course, but I didn't slip them off under the table once.
The band played "Unchained Melody." Ray asked me to dance. Forty years ago I said yes in heels. I said yes in heels again.
AU sizes 5 to 11, with a proper size guide
The Veda comes in Australian sizes 5 to 11. The page has a shoe size guide with foot length in centimetres, which is the most useful thing on a shoe page. I stood on a ruler on the kitchen floor, measured my foot, matched it to the guide, and they fitted first time. If you're between sizes, I'd ask Perth Boutique's team before you order. They're happy to help.
Lorraine wants to borrow them for her granddaughter's christening. She's not getting them. I've told her to order her own.
These, against the flats I'd settled for
Most of us didn't give up heels because we wanted to. We gave them up because the ones we had gave up on us. Here's the difference, laid out plainly.
Comfortable, and completely forgettable
An outfit that stops at the ankles
The same pair for weddings and funerals
Feeling dressed up was for younger women
Looking down and wishing
A slim 7 cm heel with real lift
A pointed toe that finishes the look
Leopard print that goes with everything
A stretch strap and a cushioned insole
One slow dance, in heels
About the price
The Veda heels are $104.95 at the moment. The website says they're usually $210. I won't pretend I know what a pair of heels ought to cost, but I can tell you that the bag I took to the op shop at 50 held several hundred dollars' worth of heels that hurt, and these are the first pair in years I've actually wanted to wear.
You can split it with Afterpay, which works out at four payments of $26.24, and Zip is there too if that's what you use.
Shipping was free with Australia Post, tracked and insured, and there's a 30-day money-back guarantee if they aren't right. For heels, after twelve years, that's what got me to press the button.
stiletto heel
with size guide
Australia-wide
If you're 55, or 62, or 70, and you gave your heels away years ago because you decided that part of your life was over, these are the heels I'd hand you myself, while your size is still there. Practise round the kitchen. Then say yes to the slow dance.
Maggie
Veda · Chic Leopard Slingback Heels
Afterpay: 4 payments of $26.24 · Zip available
- Slim 7 cm stiletto heel for an elegant lift
- Slingback strap with a slight stretch
- Long pointed toe that lengthens the leg
- Leopard print faux leather that goes with everything
- Cushioned insole for long evenings
- AU sizes 5 to 11 · size guide on the page
- FREE shipping Australia-wide & 30-day money-back guarantee
End of season sale on now, while stocks last.
About the writer. Maggie Whitfield is 62 and lives in Perth with her husband Ray, a lemon tree that produces more than they can eat, and a standing Thursday coffee with Lorraine. She worked as a dental receptionist for twenty-six years and is now, in her own words, "saying yes to things," including heels.
This page is an advertisement for Perth Boutique. Individual experiences may vary. Perth Boutique · Free shipping Australia-wide · 30-day money-back guarantee.