Hermes Giulia Sandal Women Calfskin Gold Kelly Buckle Noir H232129Z 02350

If you want the Kelly buckle without negotiating a heel, this is the arrangement. The Giulia sits under a centimetre off the ground, black calfskin against black goatskin, and the one piece of lift in the whole design is the gold permabrass buckle catching light across the toes.

It is built like a dress shoe that happens to be flat: black leather sole, leather edge and heel, permabrass plating, and goatskin through the insole and lining. The sole has a slight forefoot-to-heel drop that keeps the foot from sliding forward as you walk, and nothing about the shoe announces a heel, because there is not one to announce.

I take mine to dinners where I know there will be standing, and to travel days when a real heel would be a mistake. Sizes run 36 to 41. Worn with black silk it is nearly invisible, which is exactly when the buckle starts doing its work.

The one honest caveat is the soft calfskin toe. It shows fine scuffs as light lines, and on black leather those lines read clearly until they are polished out. A five-minute session with black cream every few weeks keeps the surface deep; neglect it and the toe goes dull.

Looked after, the leather moulds to the toes within a fortnight and the buckle keeps a warm, unchipped shine. Made in Italy. A quiet flat with one considered bright point, and nothing else to manage.