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Use code Cheryl15Spring25 for 15% off your purchase at Inez. 

There've been a lot of think-pieces lately about how women don't wear heels anymore as well as some heel-shaming from Gen Z. We definitely have the pandemic to blame—we all dress more casually now, with an emphasis on comfort, and the many of us who used to suffer through foot pain in the name of fashion have since breathed a huge sigh of relief. I wore heels nearly every day for years, and while I wouldn't have called them comfortable per se, I think there was a lot of muscle memory involved; now that I spend most of my day in slippers as I work from home, my feet have pretty much atrophied and any heel over an inch is not doable for more than an hour or so. And yet on the rare occasion when I do wear heels, I feel more confident, more intentional in my movement, and more elegant. Please, feel free to take away my feminist card, but I don't think there's anything wrong in wanting to feel more feminine, whatever that looks like to you. So the question is, can we as women have it all, e.g. the boost that comes from wearing heels with the comfort that we're used to from flats and sneakers? Inez is a brand that's trying to bridge that gap. While they sent me a pair of high-heel sandals to try, the following are my honest and unfiltered opinions. 

The background on Inez

If you missed my review of Inez boots, the brand is designed by a shoe-industry veteran and manufactured in a family-run factory in Spain. All Inez shoes have a shock-absorbing foam insole which stabilizes the foot and supports the arch. The designs are trend-conscious yet refined, with lots of strappy minimalist and '90s-inspired platforms in metallics and neuturals. The shoes are mostly under $300 (boots can go up to $500), and there are no flats to be seen—the lowest heels run around 50 mm or 2 inches. In other words, Inez makes heels, full stop. And I certainly appreciate a brand with a clear point of view. 

The Isa sandal

I love a strappy '90s sandal in theory, but in actuality, I have a bunion on one of my feet that loves to poke out and throw off the line. So I was very intrigued by how soft the Isa sandal looked, with its scrunchy, asymmetrically knotted design. The 70 mm (2.8-inch) heel felt like a bit of a gamble—my Caro boots are surprisingly comfortable but are a bit lower at 55 mm—but I decided to go mid or go home. Isa is currently available in black and tan, and while I wish they offered a few more novel, seasonal colors (wouldn't yellow be fun?), I went with black because I was missing a black heeled sandal in my wardrobe and the design reminded me a bit of a pair I used to have back in the early 2000s. With that in mind, this pair does have a Gwyneth-in-Calvin vibe that I was worried would feel a little been there, done that, but what goes around comes back around, right? 

My honest review

This particular shoe comes in three widths (slim, regular, and roomy) and my initial thought was that I should have ordered my regular 8.5 in roomy instead of regular, as the knot of the shoe was digging into the side of my foot. But as with any leather shoes, they relaxed and softened as I wore them around the house and definitely became more comfortable as time progressed. The height of the heel felt like riding a bike after a long time—I was a little wobbly at first, but then my body remembered the motions. The funny thing is, normally when I'm posing for photos in flats or low heels, I tend to rise up on my tiptoes to elongate my body and twist myself into a more flattering angle (I know, I know), but with these shoes, I was already there, and I felt so much more natural and balanced. That said, I have only worn these shoes a few times for no more than a couple hours, some of which I was sitting down. I have not walked long distances in them, nor would I recommend them for that, but so far they work for a date night or girls' get-together (the jury is still out on whether they'd last an entire day in the office). Are they comfortable enough to totally replace my flats? Definitely not, but they're totally fine for a stroll down memory lane, back to the '90s when we wore heels all day, every day. 

OUTFIT DETAILS: Ganni leopard-print coat (current season) | H&M sweatshirt | Madewell studded belt | Madewell kick-flare jeans | Inez Isa sandals (c/o) use Cheryl15Spring25 for 15% off your purchase