How to choose wedges, platforms and western boots
A wedge is a sole in which the heel and the tread form one continuous block, without the gap that separates heel from sole on a classic shoe. The difference is not only visual: body weight spreads along the whole length of the foot instead of loading a single point, and that makes an eight-centimetre wedge easier to wear than a six-centimetre stiletto.
A platform is the added thickness under the forefoot, and its job is to reduce the actual pitch of the foot. The arithmetic is simple: a ten-centimetre heel set on a four-centimetre platform works the foot like a six-centimetre heel, because what counts is not the height of the heel but the drop between heel and forefoot. That is why a shoe that looks tall can turn out more comfortable than one that looks low.
A mule is a shoe closed over the forefoot and completely open at the back, with no strap holding the foot in. It stays on through the grip of the upper alone, so the fit has to be exact: half a size too big makes it unstable from the first step. Anyone with a narrow foot should try it on with the hosiery they will actually wear, because that is where the hold is decided.
A western boot has a one-piece upper with no zips or laces, a flared heel and a tapered toe, and you pull it on by the two loops stitched to the sides of the shaft. It began as a work boot, and that origin explains the sturdy build that now carries it through a full day in town. It sits under straight-leg jeans, which cover the shaft, and under a midi dress, which shows it off: two opposite uses of the same boot.
Suede is leather worked on the flesh side: it has a velvety surface and takes on far more water than a smooth leather finished on the grain. It is cleaned dry, with a rubber or crepe brush that lifts the nap, and it is protected with a water-repellent spray before the first wearing rather than after the first mark. Treated that way it holds up through a damp season, which is the reason it is worth looking for among mid-season shoes.
