• Party Shoes

(Photo: Courtesy of Christian Louboutin)

• Christian Louboutin

  941 Madison Ave., 212-396-1884
  59 Horatio St., 212-255-1910

  If you’ve been in a situation where champagne was sipped from a shoe, it was likely a Louboutin ($495 to $2,800). With satin rosettes, leopard lace-ups, a sparkle here or a rhinestone there, they’re perfect for matching, accenting, or just walking away: Is there anything as sexy as the flash of Louboutin’s crimson soles?

• Platforms

(Photo: Firstview)

• Chloé

  850 Madison Ave., 212-717-8220

  Chloés can inspire otherwise sane New York women to do things like beg to be on a waiting list that ends with the grateful dropping of an enormous amount of cash (about $650). This season’s wooden platform sandals are already the object of lust, envy, and imitation. There will be knockoffs, but for true believers, there’s really only one.

• Sandals

• K. Jacques at Calypso

  935 Madison Ave., 212-535-4100

  Most New Yorkers will never visit the south of France, but we can still wear sexy, white-sand-worthy sandals. And K. Jacques’ St.-Tropez collection is the best: simple flats with a variety of leather details and classic styles from gladiator to thong. Starting at $120 a pair, they’re priced in this stratosphere—unlike a trip to St.-Tropez.

• Ballet Slippers

• Azzedine Alaïa at Jeffrey New York

  449 W. 14th St., 212-206-1272

  At first glance, a ballet flat is the most basic shoe shape out there. But Azzedine Alaïa delightfully twists the form so that the girlishness of the round-toe box is tempered by sexy toe cleavage. They come in lovely satin and leather (above, $470), and they’re absurdly sidewalk-friendly. The ideal counterpoint to the season’s other Important Look: the platform.

• Boots

(Photo: Courtesy of Loeffler Randall)

• Loeffler Randall At Bergdorf Goodman

  754 Fifth Ave., 212-753-7300

  Loeffler Randall is a new brand, but in just two seasons, it’s become well known for the just-right roundish toes, sane heels, simple styling, and good colors. Whether it’s soft calfskin flats (above, $616) or reasonably stacked heels, its styles work in any context from trendy (over leggings or denim) to simply chic (with skirts and dresses).

From the 2006 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine