We mocked these Acne shoes when we first saw them. ‘Hideous!’, we scoffed. Then we accidentally fell into the Acne store on Dover St to escape last week’s deluge – which is when we tried on, and accidentally bought, the Barika dress (£320). As is their wont, the clever shop assistant offered a pair of heels shoes to try with it – which turned out to be The Shoes Formerly Known As Hideous. Which we had to humbly admit turned out to be not so hideous after all. Their heavy straps and metalwork make the ankle look more delicate (the well-documented Ugg Effect™) and somehow that previously derided spindly heel combined with men’s shoe heel was not at all grotesque, as we had unfairly deemed them.  Acne: We apologise.

They don’t photograph as well as they could have done, but here’s a vague idea (excuse the feet – the more deserving recipient of the moniker hideous):

Gilded Lily: Acne shoes, £650 – formerly mocked, now coveted

… the foot-free angle (not so hot, right?). The centre buckle removes for a different look