Hands up who has bared a naked leg this week. I have! The sun was back from maternity leave for a couple of days and bathed London in glorious sunlight. I am perpetually optimistic regarding mother nature's attention to the weather. An endless winter of ankle boots and tights has worried my feet - every morning we play a game I like to call 'try on the sandal'. My toes have begged to be released from the tights cave, my sandals from their dust bags. And at the quarter to nine every day, my feet have slid into the perfect mint green sandals that so well complement my ruby toes. The poor things have become depressed.
So while bare-legs are far from an every day fixture, my sights have been set highly on future footwear. This summer, there's a new shoe in town. It's harder, better, faster, stronger... or something like that. The simplicity sandal combines the demi-heel with twenty-first century style security for the easiest summer shoe. There's no double-decker platform, a single sole is sufficient. The heel - or lack of it - does the talking.
The simplicity sandal is easy like a Sunday morning, easily teamed with a loose cut jean or LBD. It is another piece of 2013's versatile style puzzle, enabled from day to night without a care. It commands the new era of dressing - usually two minimals straps, one over the toes and ankle, provide the necessary support for summer's shoe seduction. Fuss and frivolity are forgotten.
This kind of shoe covers a few bases. You can make monochrome your own with Marni's block-heeled, two-tone leather sandals, the easiest way to wear the trend. And maybe it's just me that loves my summer feet in white, but it's just so becoming. Nicholas Kirkwood's perfect mid-heel works with a back-to-basics cut out sling back, utterly carefree. It's very easy when you look at it this way.
Nicholas Kirkwood, £425, netaporter.com
While some have cast off the simple sandal sans heel as an insubstantial back-to-school style, I fear no such thing. There's a practical buckled strap, and something broader for toe alignment. And that's it. It is nothing more than a sandal allowing rapid movement, racking up some style kudos on the side. If the weather allows its regular departure from the carpeted house, I see no adversary for the school sandal.
It's pedicure time. On your marks, get set, go. See you at the finish line.