We have all heard it before: 'as long as your hair is right and you are wearing a decent pair of shoes, you can pretty much pull off anything'. Well today, illustration of the point in case. I chose a very recently acquired pair of high heel black patent and pointed stilettos from Saint Laurent (bought half price at Matches Fashion, there are still a few available but not many sizes) and tried it with different outfits: casual evening out, dressy evening out, work and simply casual weekend wear. Although I quite fancy the devilish look of these Saint Laurent stilettos, there are obviously plethora of other types of stilettos that would do the trick of course (Louboutin Pigalle obviously, Jimmy Choo Anouk, Manolo Blahnik Hangisi, and less expensive but still a solid choice, some of the Kurt Geiger range).

Casual evening out

Here is what it looks like with a pair of grey denim (Zara), a cream tank top (Zadig & Voltaire) and a smart jacket (also Zadig). On reflexion, I think this outfit would have deserved a bit more energy so with hindsight would have worn a tank top with a colourful logo for example. But anyway, the point is, a simple pair of jeans, a relaxed tank top and a plain jacket do seem to stand out with a bit of black stiletto magic. Don't they?

Dressy evening out

The second type of outfit was 'in the need to look smart for a party in winter' type of range. The only thing I am wearing here is a Zara long ribbed and roll neck dress. I bought it on line and thought it might end up looking like a 'sac a patates' (a pig wrapped in rags) but honestly it looks amazing worn and is ideal for chilly night outs. So at £22.99, my advice is to get it fast. But worn with flat, anodyne shoes, then I would probably have looked like a black whale calf. So again, I think the stilettos do deserve some credit...

Work wear

I deliberately went for an outfit that was dangerously close to being that of a wise schoolgirl to see if I could pull that off too... And the answer is that it is possibly the look that I like the most from this series. And I am definitely intending to try it for real at work! For the sake of completeness, I am wearing a silk blouse with black bow from Zara, a mini skirt from Claudie Pierlot and polka dot tights from DD.

Casual wear

The final trial. One which does matter actually. Unless I deliberately decide to get dressed to go out or to go to work, I look fairly casual most of the time and could easily wear a chunky jumper (this time from Banana Republic, available from the new collection) and a pair of jeans (Zara again). So how do I smarten up in no time? Simples.

What do you think? Convincing?