It’s time to welcome back the slingback
— by Alyson Walsh
After my Big Wardrobe Workout, I donated a pile of 1990s ‘Fashion Editor’ clothes and shoes to the local charity shop. Mainly wide leg trousers that felt a bit corporate and a pile of trashed kitten heels. The shoes were all quite worn out and tragic-looking and with a style consultant in the house, I wondered why I’d kept them for so long…But I do love the combination of cropped trousers or turned-up jeans and slingbacks. And so was pleased to see that fashion editor’s like Caroline Issa and Viviana Volpicella the founder of fashion brand LaDoubleJ have welcomed back the slingback. Note the snazzy jackets, too.
In case anyone is remotely interested, here’s a list of other stuff that went to the charity shop after the Big Wardrobe Workout.
- A selection of black heeled ankle boots (some expensive and barely worn), that were too high/uncomfortable to walk in and a pair of vintage Miu Miu Mary Jane’s that I could barely stand up in
- One white shirt that looks too harsh against my complexion. I was right about the white shirt all along. A couple of softer cream silk blouses manage to avoid the charity shop pile
- Two pairs of past-their-best skinny jeans
- A selection of scarves, jumpers, cardigans – even those with the Gucci-on-a-budget factor (a vintage gold, Lurex roll neck, a floral print cardigan). All gone.
And so, there might just be enough room to squeeze in a new pair of slingbacks for upcoming business meetings and so on…
Discussion (29 Comments)
- Marilyn says:
Ah Alison, you are so right about consigning the white shirt to the charity shop – they work for some – but not for me. Joseph Dara tunic shirts in ivory or cream are my guilty pleasure. A flattery hue that flatters a pale skin tone. Just off to explore some of those slingbacks!
- Ana says:
An expert once told me that if you have a cold skin undertone pure white will suit you, but if your skin undertone is warm you should choose cream or ivory; she just put a piece of golden and then silver fabric under my chin to see which colour suited my skin better, if it is the silver one then you have cold skin undertone, if it is the golden one was you have the warm undertone, I hope it’s helpful for anyone.
- Kerry says:
I bought a pair of navy floral slingbacks with low block heels from m and s this spring and love them. They’re so stable and comfortable and improve any outfit!
- PP says:
The jury’s out on slingbacks (that’d require moisturising of heels – is there no end to all this moisturising that suddenly needs doing?), but a very big ‘yes’ to a bonkers jacket. If you have any idea where the slinky dragon number in the first pic is from, I’d love to know.
- Alyson says:
It’s Gucci and I’m not sure if it’s still available. See above for Gucci-on-a-budget jackets!
- PP says:
Thanks Alyson. I should’ve known it’d be at the pricey end with all that lovely binding. I’ll check it out on the off chance it’s still around and doesn’t cost a king’s ransom. But if it’s not and it does, no matter – what’s exciting to me is this rash of interesting jackets. As someone with a jacket fetish, that’s a happy thing.
- Kay says:
I always await your blogs with relish .loved the summer dress lately and now this one.Any chance you could do a piece on swimwear especially ones with excellent support but not usual old granny ones.I am over 6 feet tall and swimsuits are a nightmare for body length never mind decent support and dont mention LTS poor quality and design.Keep up the brilliant blog.My wardrobe is loving it.
- RetroChicMama says:
Oh yes I also love that look & the ladylike sling back but I only owned one pair. The reason being that every time I take a step my foot comes right out of the shoe! I’ve tried several pairs over the years & only kept my snake skin ones because they’re too amazing not to. But the truth is I hardly ever wear them unless I know I’ll be sitting or standing in one spot most of the time, such a shame.
- Catherine Hokin says:
Am praying to the ebay gods for the Boden jacket and sobbing at the slingbacks I culled too soon. They do flatter your ankle.
- Donna says:
As someone who has also culled sling backs because of the slip factor, I discovered little rubber grips that you attach to the strap and they stop them slipping off.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scholl-Party-Invisible-Slingback-Strips/ - Yvonne Lumley says:
Why do you think it is Ok to donate your ‘past their best’ jeans and ‘trashed’ kitten heels to a charity shop?
- maudie says:
With respect, maybe you are taking this too literally? I don’t think Alyson meant trashed – perhaps just not immaculate?
- Annie says:
Oh God yes! My all time favourite shoe. Sexy, comfy, flattering. I am dusting mine off for this summer. I even wore them when I got married. I wonder if they still fit? Slingbacks knock high heels into a cocked hat, just like a sleek bob always trumps long hair. Fact.
- Amanda says:
I have several pairs of Peter Kaiser slingbacks ( style:Carsta ) as I found these stay on my feet very well. People often comment (favourably!) on them.
- Mrs Tonia says:
I’ve kept my Miu Miu low heeled black white and grey sling backs from 2000 because I couldn’t bear to part with them. Perfect for now. I also kept low conical heeled Mondrian appliqué gorgeous sling backs from 80s. They are on display in my study. May give them a whirl. I was always tugging at slipping straps as I walked I recall. I prefer shoes and sandals with ankle straps. They stay put, are good for walking plus flattering to ankles.
Re disposing of clothes which no longer work, don’t fit as they should especially over the bosom I’ve recently given away many older clothes of quality in natural fabrics to a good friend and my sister in law. Both are slimmer and taller than me and look wonderful in these clothes. They departed with new for them garments full of delight. For my part I felt pleased with the whole transaction and its green side too. Win win for all concerned. - Lou says:
Oh shame on you Alyson donating shoddy clothes! Makes me quesy thinking of things i maybe should have kept but we either have treasure troves or we cull…..
- Yvonne Lumley says:
Why should people who have no choice but to buy clothes from charity shops have to buy trashed stuff? I donate but make sure the pieces I donate are in good condition.
- Maureen says:
I donate my items regularly to charity, but I have my own rule: if it’s good enough/current enough that I’d pass it along to a friend, then it’s okay to donate. If it’s not worth handing to a friend, it goes into the bin and NOT to charity.
- maudie says:
Ouch! I regularly buy from charity shops and the quality of items is generally very, very good. Briefly, I volunteered in a charity shop and anything too tatty is put in a rag bag for recycling or destroyed. I will never be ‘sniffy’ about secondhand clothing – I have champagne taste and a beer budget and thrifting suits me just fine. I wish I knew where Alyson donated her items – she is such a stylish woman!
- Alyson says:
Thanks Maudie, I donate a lot to charity and most of the stuff is in excellent condition. I would never give anything that could not be used by someone else. In retrospect, maybe ‘trashed’ wasn’t the right word and yes, it has been taken literally here.
- Ana says:
It dosn´t matter if clothes are not in perfect condition, there is always someone out there for whom it will be useful; just give away whatever you don´t use , if everybody did that the world would be a better place
- Elizabeth says:
You deserve several pairs of new sling-backs after such a large closet clean out. I’m still procrastinating over this issue – and life in general. Warm regards, Elizabeth
- kiki says:
as a charity shop maven I’d say that ‘trashed’ covers a huge spectrum, from irredeemably stained to frayed at the hem, or missing some buttons. I cherish the latter and will happily bust out a needle and thread to bring a gorgeous, wearable item back to life, especially because the price is usually ridiculously low if a little DIY is necessary.
- Anne Murphy says:
Crikey thus moved on from Sling backs! I freely sdmit to being queen of the pre loved, know what I like, what suits me, what fits etc & it’s frequently on eBay! Although shoes can be a problem…
- Melanie says:
All this talk of what’s appropriate for a charity shop – there doesn’t seem to be much credit given to the people who shop there. If they like it, they will buy it; if they don’t, they won’t, same as at high-end retailers. Pieces can be upcycled so that the worn bits are either discarded or played up or camouflaged with fun patches; parts of different items can be sewn together to create whole new pieces. There is value in quality fabrics, so please don’t bin these worn pieces. People pay big bucks for new jeans manufactured to look “past their prime.” At luxury retailers I have often seen expensive sweaters manufactured with fake moth holes and runs. As Zerka wrote, one woman’s trash…
Thanks for donating, Alyson. People like you open up whole new creative avenues for me when I go thrift shopping.
- Jo says:
It’s worth noting that a number of charity shops take clothes as ‘rags’ to sell on to recyclers – I check this with any shop I’m donating to and clearly mark ‘rag bags’ as such to make it easier for them when sorting donations. Better than it going to landfill, which seems to be the alternative.
- Robin says:
I depend on slingbacks as the workhorse for my professional wardrobe because they don’t slip off my heels, compared to most closed pumps that go flying off my feet because of my narrow heels. I’m always on the lookout for the perfect slingback–the kitten heels are too short and seem to clack when I walk. A 2 1/2 inch heel is the sweet spot for me.
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Interesting….wasn’t aware they’d gone away! Although tbf they can be irritating to wear, back strap slipping off, could just be my feet of course.