Gwyneth Paltrow reinvented her entire image simply by stepping into a pair of ultra-high heels.
She turned herself into a Hollywood glamazon by flaunting the most envied collection of shoes since Imelda Marcos at a succession of red carpet events to launch her new movie, Two Lovers, earlier this summer.
It marked a turnaround from the actress-turned stay-at-home wife and mother of two – and just goes to show that stepping out in a killer pair of shoes can do wonders for a woman's confidence.
But you don't have to work the dizzy heights of five-inch heels a la Gwyneth to get yourself noticed.
This season there's a shoe to fit each and every Cinderella's foot – and image.
From gladiator flats to towering platforms, find your must-have shoe for the summer....
Gladiators are our summer foot fetish that just won't go away.
These are sandals with attitude – perfect for toughening up this season's floaty bohemian trend. Go for funky flats for daytime or strappy gladiator heels for a glamorous evening look. Jazz up your summer ensembles by choosing exotic skins or bright colours.
- FOR COLOUR TRY: Mogil yellow perspex gladiators, £65 at ASOS; Marks & Spencer pink gladiator sandals, £29.50.
- FOR NEUTRAL TRY: Matalan cream gladiator heels, £12, Accessorize metallic gladiator sandals, £25.
For those who never put comfort above style, the versatile thong sandal is the trendier shoe sister of the flip-flop.
Thong sandals look fabulous in super-bright shades for daytime but if you love flats for evening soirees, check out glam jewel-embellished or metallic versions.
- FOR COLOUR TRY: Next purple thong sandals, £18; J by Jasper Conran green thong sandals, £25 at Debenhams.
- FOR NEUTRAL TRY: Faith Jower gem sandals, £40; Marks & Spencer Limited Collection pewter thong sandals, £15.
Wedges are a leg-lengthening must-have for the summer months.
They work with just about any item in your wardrobe from flowing maxi dresses to bottom-skimming micro shorts. Stick to wooden or raffia-based wedge heels to walk the summer trend for 2008.
- FOR COLOUR TRY: Faith green Horris wooden wedges, £40; Moda in Pelle Lorri red peep-toe wedges, £50; Dorothy Perkins fuchsia leather T-bar wedges, £35.
- FOR NEUTRAL TRY: Red Herring tan raffia wedges, £25 at Debenhams; Topshop Whisp off-white crossover wedges, £60.
If, like Victoria Beckham, flat shoes are against your religion then the platform is the heel for you.
Anything goes as long as you pick a platform sole and chunky heel, so try on peep-toes, strappy numbers or Mary Janes. If your outfit is loud in colour or print, opt for neutral colours, and vice versa.
- FOR COLOUR TRY: Office Naomi pink t-bars, £60; Next colour block criss-cross platforms, £50.
- FOR NEUTRAL TRY: Dune Lilly raffia and flower corsage platforms, £85; River Island tan peep-toe platforms, £54.99.
- Bare feet and strappy shoes inevitably equals blisters.
Invest in some SOS (Save Our Soles) essentials to keep your feet sweet...
Prevent painful between-toe rubbing in thong sandals or flip flops with Scholl Party Feet Invisible Gel Flip Flop Strips, £1.99. Keep feet super fresh all day with Pretty Polly Fresh Feet Footsies (£5 for a pack of two). Or buy some feet-friendly talcum powder to make sweaty summer shoes a thing of the past. Try Mavala Talcum Powder for Feet, £7.50.
And if you're about to step out in brand new shoes, slather on Compeed's Anti-Blister Stick, £4.39.
- Prevent the ouch effect – the burning on the balls of your feet after a stint in towering heels – with Boots Gorgeous Ball Of Foot Cushion, £4.49.
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FeaturesMore Rotherham newsMore Doncaster newsMore Barnsley newsCheck out the very latest on South Yorkshire's roads - including live traffic cameras on Sheffield's commuter routes - with our Traffic sectionLatest sport. The full article contains 665 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
