Mules are backless shoes with a single strap over the foot, as shown by these beautiful DREAM PAIRS mules available from Amazon (affiliate link).
We love the cross strap feature on these 3.3 inch heels. The square toe is also helpful when looking to find heels for daily wear as the square toe is somewhat easier to balance and walk in.
Mules are a shoe closet essential because they are so basic. There’s really no simpler form of stiletto than a pair of open toe mules.
Mules may be simple but they have long been polarising. They were once considered a bedroom shoe, perhaps because of how quickly they could be removed!
Amongst modern designers, Christian Louboutin regards the mule as his favorite shoe but the equally famous Manolo Blahnik has described them as “stupid”. Surely that is tongue in cheek as Manolo has been selling mules for years!
The most delicate and alluring mules have only a single, thin strap over the toes. An extremely curved sole then bares the arch of the foot completely.
At any rate, the idea that the mule should be kept to private quarters has long since disappeared. They’re a fashion staple – and they go with just about anything.
Are mules on trend at the moment?
These backless beauties have slid effortlessly on-trend and off again since Marilyn Monroe first slipped her famous feet into a pair in the 1950s. But until now the mule has been a controversial – and fleeting – part of mainstream fashion.
We say “until now” because mules have been on trend since around 2014 and have showed no sign of fading away in the near decade since.
Before that, mules are sometimes seen as a fashion trend of the 1990s which also suggests that they weren’t out of fashion for very long before they made a comeback.
A little further back, Peggy Bundy briefly revived the bedroom mule as daily fashion in the 1980s, but it was only to be deliberately tacky. Sex and the City brought mules to the streets in the ’90s but they faded before the current revival.
We first noted that the mule was having a “moment” back in 2014, when top end designers and brands such as Manolo Blahnik, Giuseppe Zanotti, Jimmy Choo, Alexander Wang, Stuart Weitzman, Prada, Fendi and Gucci all had mules in their collections.
Since then, the trend has continued and has been going strong with no sign of stopping. Seventies inspired mules, block mules and double-strappers have all been embraced by design houses in recent years.
And thanks largely to Kim Kardashian, even clear heeled mules have gone mainstream.
This all suggests that the mule’s re-rise is no passing fad.
Mules are practical, sassy and with a bundle of attitude – the mule is a quirky, low-maintenance style. It embodies the casual “Oh I just threw this on” look to ramp up sartorial credentials effortlessly.
It’s not difficult to see why mules are the shoe craze that won’t slide away.
From a trend perspective, it may have taken forever, but high heeled mules seem finally here to stay.
Are high heeled mules comfortable?
The DREAM PAIRS mules have good reviews for comfort (click our affiliate link to read more), although this is always in the eye or foot of the beholder.
The number one question that women ask about any style of heel is whether they are comfortable. And usually the answer is that heels are never particularly comfortable, but whether a particular style is comfortable for you will depend on, well, you.
Mules can be comfortable because they do not have a back, meaning there’s nothing to rub on your heel. Many women also find that mules are liberating because they are so minimal that the foot has plenty of room to get comfortable.
Are high heeled mules easy to walk in?
If mules can be comfortable, then the next question that is often asked about high heeled mules is “how the heck am I supposed to walk in them?”.
If you’re concerned that your mule might fly off as you step out, then don’t be. But depending on the particular shoe you might have to take a little more care walking in mules.
The basic heel walking technique of “heel then toe” also applies to mules. It can be a little disconcerting at first as the heel will drop down as you step up, meaning you have to anticipate it not being quite where it was when you lifted your foot up.
As always, practice is the key to walking in heels, mules included.
A good rhythm will see the mules slapping your heels in a steady beat, the “clack-clack” sound of these unique shoes reminding everyone that you’ve embraced the high heeled mule trend and that it is here to stay.