Ever versatile, pointed toe is back

A model wears pointy shoes from the Rachel Zoe Fall 2013 collection during Fashion Week in New York. [AP/NEWSIS]

Sleek, sophisticated and ladylike, the pointy-toe shoe is coming back strong, pushing several seasons’ worth of chunky platforms toward the back of the closet.

The narrowed point, part of the retro-feminine trend drawing on the 1960s, has trickled down from the designer world to the mainstream market, said Gregg Andrews, fashion creative director at Nordstrom, and will be a silhouette to wear to look well-dressed and on-trend for spring.

“It looks so fresh,” Andrews said. “It feels right with everything that’s going on in fashion.”

The classic, versatile style, last a must-have in the “Sex and the City” era, is enjoying an updated return to the spotlight in a burst of colors and with decorations such as pretty bows and tougher-looking studs.

If you are a newcomer to the silhouette, stylist and shoe fanatic Stacy London believes there is no better place to start than the classic pointy-toe stiletto.

“It’s the basic shoe for any woman’s wardrobe,” said London, who says that a line-lengthening pointy toe punctuates at least one-quarter of her shoe collection, now approaching 500 pairs.

“There’s nothing it can’t go with, and it does literally add a little bit of height and class to any outfit,” she said. “It makes you look taller, longer, leaner and more graceful.”

One of the best attributes of the shoe, which can also be fashioned with a kitten, mid-height or flat heel, is that you can wear it with just about anything.

London favors a higher stiletto paired with cropped pants or midi skirt, and said the shoes also work well with a pantsuit, a full or pencil skirt, a sheath dress and even the boyfriend jean. For a trendy outfit, dress up a look of skinny jeans, T-shirt and lightweight leather jacket with a pair of pointed stilettos, Andrews suggested. “The whole idea of juxtaposing the feminine with the more tough is a huge trend,” he said.

While “anyone and everyone” can slip into the style, said London, there still are things to consider: A skinny heel, for example, can make heavy calves or ankles look heavier, so women might want to consider a wedge or stacked heel instead. Also, an elongated toe box can look “a little witchy” on shorter women, she said, urging wearers to “keep the point in proportion with your height.”

AP