The Duchess of Cambridge and her court shoes

Of course I've been keeping up with the Cambridge's grand tour Down Under and reading all the breathless commentary on stylish Kate. She certainly has a great pair of pins, and today I learned her secret: nude court shoes!

Here in the U.S. we call these shoes "pumps": closed-toe, low front shoes with heels. According to the fashion press, nude pumps/court shoes give the illusion of long legs when the color of the pump and the skin are similar. Which makes sense, as your eye tends to stop when you get to a jolt of black or red at the feet.

Sign me up!



According to the folks in the know at the Daily Mail, Kate's preferred court shoe comes from London-based retailer LK Bennett and these shoes are, unfortunately, sold out in the U.K. If you're stateside, you can purchase the style "Sledge" at Nordstrom for just $345.

If you, like I, don't have a royal allowance for footwear, here are some lower-priced options.

Here's the Madden Girl Fastenn pump for $34.30 at Belk. The LK Bennett pump is a bit more taupe, but I think the Madden Girl version would work better on someone with fair skin. It must be a popular choice with Kate admirers because most sizes are hard to find: Belk was the only online retailer where I found a variety of sizes available.

If you've got more dosh (sorry, I've been reading the latest Elizabeth George mystery), the Cole Hahn Chelsea pump is very similar to the LK Bennett court shoe. They're currently $199.00 at Zappos ... and free shipping. Like the Madden Girl pumps, though, popular sizes are unavailable at the moment, but Zappos will let you know when your size is back in stock.

 



The Michael Kors Ionna pump is quite nice, too, and a more reasonable $130 at Zappos -- that is, if they have your size. The only thing I don't like is the bling on the back of the heel.

I saw some other nude pumps by Kate Spade and Christian Louboutin, but if I can't afford LK Bennett, it goes without saying I can't afford these versions either.

I'm curious to see the "nude" effect on my own legs, so I'm heading down to our local Marshall's to give it a try. I'm not so sure about that platform look; my mind goes to porn films, hookers, and Times Square in the 70s, sorry. And those heels -- some of them are 4" or 5". Never mind walk in them. Could I even stand? We'll see ... I've sewn a bunch of skirts in the last couple months, and I'm eager to see if nude pumps are the trick of the eye my figure needs. :)