The all-weather office flat
Le Monde Béryl woven leather loafers, £445
My summer work shoes need to be able to do 10,000 steps through the city in rain or beating heat, protect from glacial levels of air conditioning, not be offensive to colleagues in their nakedness and probably look like I made some kind of professional effort. Not sure that my trusty Adidas SL 72s (from £85, adidas.com) deliver on the final front, but their lightweight soles are a gift in summer and boy do I bounce through those steps.
For a smarter look, it’s leather flats. As my knife-point toed black leather pair sadly failed to stand up to the flash rainstorms of June, I’m now returning to a sturdier toed ballet, which I hope will be less prone to climate defeat. Jimmy Choo’s Margo (£495, net-a-porter.com) is an almond shape – always leather over suede for durability. Phoebe Philo’s rounder-toed style (£720, phoebephilo.com) is chic but hard to come by. A lightweight loafer then? Le Monde Béryl’s woven leather loafers (£445, lemondeberyl.com), also available in a ballet style, will allow a wonderful amount of healthy ventilation to flow. Then again there’s the air-con to consider. Kate Finnigan
Phoebe Philo leather Gathered Flat, £720. BUY
