Nearly Every Fashion Girl Is Endorsing This Shoe Silhouette—Including Myself

Only a few seasons ago, sky-high platforms heels seemed to dominate every conversation, with Valentino and Versace defining the trend with their massive towering heels. But fashion is fickle and tastes are everchanging. This year, we've shifted to (almost) the opposite end of the spectrum. 2023 is shaping up to be the year of the kitten heel. Make no mistake, stilettos—from boots to revenge pumps ala Saint Laurent—are still getting plenty of play, but it just might be time to revisit easy-on-the-feet heels.

Much of this shift is due in part to the increasing popularity of vintage. Cult items of yesteryear like Marc Jacob's Stam Bag and Gucci's Horsebit heels are coming back into the fold and with it, a slew of Gen Z fans are eager to get a piece of fashion history. That being said, sourcing these early aughts icons is sometimes easier said than done, and an array of brands have stepped in to meet the demand. Mule sandals are popping up everywhere, from the high street to the runway. Part of their appeal may lie in their versatility and ease: there are no straps to fuss with and no laces to tie. Simply slip them on and go. It also helps that it's a shoe style that pairs well with any outfit. If you too are ready to jump on the train, below I've assembled 20+ pairs to get you started. 

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(Image credit: @endlesslyloveclub)

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(Image credit: @iliridakrasniqi)

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(Image credit: @sylviemus_)

Next: French Girls Love This Easy Two-Piece Outfit Formula—Get the Look for Under $99

Fashion Market Editor

Indya Brown is a fashion editor, stylist, and writer living in Los Angeles. While going to school at Columbia University in New York City, she got her feet wet in the fashion industry interning at Elle magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and New York magazine's The Cut. After graduating in 2016, she joined The Cut as a fashion assistant, eventually working her way up to fashion editor. There, she worked on a multitude of projects, including styling inbook feature stories for New York magazine's print issue, writing and pitching market stories for The Cut, and serving as fashion lead for The Cut's branded content. While New York has been her home for over 10 years, she moved to Los Angeles in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 for a new chapter. Now she is a fashion market editor for Who What Wear, focusing on emerging designers, rising trends on and off the internet, interior design, and BIPOC creatives and brands. Aside from her duties as a fashion market editor, Brown is also a freelance stylist and writer, working on national print and video commercial campaigns for Sephora, The Independent, and Cadillac. Her bylines also include Harper's Bazaar, Vox, and The New York Times. But once the computer goes down and the emails turn off, she's likely eating her way through Koreatown, hunting down vintage furniture, scoping out new outrageous nail designs to try, or taking a hot cycling class.