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Heels and flats, picked out by colour rather than by label

The smallest shelf, nine cards read on 20 October 2026. Heel covers are usually single-colour photos of one pair, which makes their measured swatches cleaner than the trainer grids, though the settings they are photographed in creep into the numbers.

Pumps, slingbacks and heeled sandals on this shelf

Three shapes make up most of the heel cards. Pumps cover the whole foot with a low-cut top and a pointed or rounded toe. Slingbacks keep the front of a pump and replace the back with a strap behind the heel. Heeled sandals are mostly straps, from a single ankle strap to a cage of thin ones.

Each shape fails in its own way. Pumps slip at the heel if the size is a little large; slingbacks depend on a strap whose length you cannot see in the photo; strappy sandals put all their pressure on a few narrow bands. When a listing offers a size chart, the foot-length figure matters more for pumps, and the strap description for the other two.

The black satin pumps on the right show a typical cover: a pointed toe, a decorated heel and a box behind them that tints part of the frame pink.

Black satin pointed-toe pumps with a sparkling heel beside a pink box
Pointed satin pumps with a jewelled heel. The pink box in the background shows up in the measured colours.Select the image to open the original size.

Patent, satin and smooth leather in bright lamp light

Shiny surfaces confuse colour measurement and the eye in the same way. Patent leather reflects whatever is around it, so the red sandals to the right carry pale highlights that the script reads as pink and cream. Satin goes lighter where it catches light and darker in folds. Smooth leather is the most honest of the three.

For patent and satin, judge colour from the areas in shadow rather than the highlights. A dark red patent strap will show a bright red in its midtones and white streaks where it reflects a lamp; the midtone is the colour you are buying.

Warehouse photos are usually taken under bright, flat light, which makes patent look glossier and satin flatter than in daylight. That is normal, and it is not a reason to reject a pair.

Red patent strappy high-heeled sandals on a cream sofa
Red patent sandals. The reflections read as pale pink in the swatches; the strap colour is the deeper red in the shadows.Select the image to open the original size.

Heel height and toe shape from a side view

Most heel listings do not state heel height in the title, and when they do it is often in centimetres in the Chinese part. A side view is the next best thing: compare the heel with the length of the shoe. A heel roughly a third of the sole length is a high heel on most feet; a quarter is mid-height.

Toe shape changes the fit as much as the size does. A long pointed toe adds length in front of the toes, so a pointed pump can feel roomier lengthwise and tighter across the ball of the foot. Square and rounded toes are kinder to wide feet.

The sandals to the right show another detail a side view gives away: a sculpted metal heel. Decorative heels are often heavier and, in warehouse photos, the easiest place to spot a scratch.

Black patent ankle-strap sandals with a sculpted gold heel on a glass table
Ankle-strap sandals with a sculpted heel, photographed side-on, the angle that shows height best.Select the image to open the original size.

Flat pairs that share the heel shelf

Two flat pairs live on this shelf because they come from the same corner of the catalogue and are bought for the same occasions: split-toe ballet flats and satin pointed flats with a bow. The white slingbacks sit close to them too, on a heel low enough to wear all day.

Flats hide less than heels. With no heel to carry the look, the toe shape and the material do all the work, so look closely at how the toe is finished in the gallery photos. Satin bows are stitched or glued; a close-up will show which.

Ballet flats with a split toe separate the big toe from the others. That suits some feet and not others, and it is the sort of detail worth confirming from a top-down photo before ordering.

White satin pointed flats with large soft bows
Pointed satin flats with oversized bows. The bow is the detail to check close up in warehouse photos.Select the image to open the original size.

Heel and flat cards measured for colour

Nine cards, prices as read on 20 October 2026. Heel prices on this catalogue run higher than the other shoe shelves.