Hermes Gigi 50 Sandal Women High Heel Sandal Calfskin Gold Kelly Buckle Noir H232131Z 02360

Five centimetres is the heel I can genuinely wear from morning to dinner. It is low enough to cross a city in and high enough to change how a dress falls, which is why the Gigi 50 in black calfskin with a gold permabrass Kelly buckle is the pair I recommend to anyone nervous about heels.

The details do the flattering: a black leather sole and heel, a buckle cut in the Kelly shape plated in warm permabrass, and black goatskin running through the insole and lining. The numbers put it at roughly two inches, and the calfskin upper keeps the profile clean.

I wear mine with black tailoring in spring and with a slip skirt in August, and they never read under- or over-dressed. Bare legs work because the goatskin lining is soft, and the leather sole keeps the shoe from looking bulky from behind.

Two honest notes. The leather sole is slick on wet marble until it has been scuffed, so add sole protectors before the first outing rather than after the first slide. And expect a short break-in, during which the toe strap marks the foot until the calfskin gives.

Kept in dust bags and worn often, the leather creases gently at the toe and the permabrass keeps its warm tone; mine has neither chipped nor dulled in two seasons. Sizes 36 to 41, finished in Italy. A heel that behaves, more or less, like a flat.