A d’Orsay is a common style of heel that most people would recognise if they saw it although they might not know its name.
Many women would likely have a pair or two of d’Orsays in their shoe wardrobe even through they might not know to call them that.
A d’Orsay heel (pronounced “door say”) is simply defined as a heel in which the instep side of the shoe is cut away or missing. The key feature of the d’Orsay is therefore that the arch of the wearer’s foot is visible.
Sometimes both sides of the shoe are removed, in which case the pump can be referred to as a “double d’Orsay”. Confusingly, it would still be correct to simply call this a “d’Orsay” too.
The practicality of d’Orsays (apart from their increased foot ventilation!) lies in the fact that the structure of the heel and toe of the shoe’s upper remains in place. This means that d’Orsays are easier to walk in than more flimsy mules or slingbacks. A d’Orsay pump is very much still a pump.
Why are d’Orsays called d’Orsays?
The style is named after Alfred Gabriel, the Court d’Orsay. Around 1838 Count d’Orsay single-handedly took it upon himself to tailor the closed-toed court shoe of the day especially for women to create something beautiful and lasting.
Clearly unhappy or bored with the status quo, the Count added a v-shaped vamp to the shoe to reveal toe cleavage and cut away both sides of the shoe to reveal the arch of the foot.
And, just like that, a mainstay of modern shoe shapes had begun.
These days it is common for a heel described as a d’Orsay to have only the arch-side (ie the instep) cut away, but double d’Orsays are also still popular.
Another change from the days of Count d’Orsay is that in those days heel heights hovered around the 2 inch mark. These days, heels seem to be much taller – and may have platforms besides.
While the d’Orsay has evolved – bringing in peep toes, closing off the outer side of the shoe and increasing the height of the heel — a couple of things are for sure: this sexy shoe is here to stay, and we can thank Count d’Orsay’s imagination for that.