Designer work pumps are becoming more popular as fashion-forward women decide that life is too short not to wear beautifully crafted shoes every day.
The superior worksmanship and quality of materials used in designer shoes are also a winner because they look after the feet better – an important factor when choosing a shoe that you’ll be wearing for full days on end.
In this category I’ve focussed on the mid-level designer range, leaving out the $800+ plus Louboutins and the like.
Check out my best picks for the superior designer work high heels of 2018.
WINNER: Fern by LK Bennett
The criteria that I’ve chosen leaves a clear winner for the best designer work pump of 2018: it’s called Fern by LK Bennett of London.
Fern is a beautiful 4 inch pump in soft leather, a wardrobe staple from LK Bennett which has recently been refreshed in its design.
If you think you recognise it then you’re not imagining things: Fern is now the “go to” pump for Kate Middleton who wore this shoe in nude on a visit to India in 2016. Kate has been seen in Fern several times since, with fashionistas speculating that she may have ditched her Sledge pumps (also by LK Bennett) for good.
If you’d like to look and feel like a celebrity in your work pumps then I recommend Fern from LK Bennett.
| Price | Introduced | Heel Height | Leather |
|---|---|---|---|
| $$$ | 2016 | 3.5 inches, measured on a size 8.5 | yes |
Click here for more pictures and to see this pump in the nude color favored by Kate Middleton
RUNNER UP: Fawn 100mm from SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker
**Update, June 2018: this pump is not available in black right now so I have removed the links. But check it out here in other awesome colors**
How could I leave out a heel by the shoe queen herself, Sarah Jessica Parker? SJP’s shoe range – imaginatively called SJP – has been a little hit and miss but reviewers have very good things to say about her 4 inch work pump called Fawn.
It’s hard not to love everything about Fawn, even its name. When she designed it, SJP explained that it was simply a name that she loved: “It creates an image of legs. And there is a sort of innocence one thinks of.”
The pump itself is of course made of quality leather. And unlike the other work pumps we’ve featured, Fawn has a slight twist – it has a grosgrain trim running down the back of the heel.
The trim or stripe runs down the centre of the back of the heel, covering the seam. It has become SJP’s signature accent on her pumps, rendering them instantly recognisable to those in the know.
The use of grosgrain is itself a nod to Sarah Jessica’s childhood memories of wearing grosgrain ribbons in her hair.
With a price point similar to that of Fern, Fawn is a viable designer alternative work pump.
| Price | Introduced | Heel Height | Leather |
|---|---|---|---|
| $$$ | 2014 | 4 inches, measured on a size 38.5 | yes |
Click here to read the latest reviews of Fawn from SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker.