Advertisement
Canada markets open in 4 hours 20 minutes
  • S&P/TSX

    21,788.48
    -60.11 (-0.28%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,469.30
    +21.43 (+0.39%)
     
  • DOW

    39,112.16
    -299.05 (-0.76%)
     
  • CAD/USD

    0.7317
    -0.0006 (-0.09%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    81.14
    +0.31 (+0.38%)
     
  • Bitcoin CAD

    83,995.55
    +773.08 (+0.93%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    1,276.99
    -6.79 (-0.53%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,327.70
    -3.10 (-0.13%)
     
  • RUSSELL 2000

    2,022.35
    -8.47 (-0.42%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.2380
    -0.0100 (-0.24%)
     
  • NASDAQ futures

    20,046.25
    +74.00 (+0.37%)
     
  • VOLATILITY

    12.77
    -0.07 (-0.55%)
     
  • FTSE

    8,295.78
    +47.99 (+0.58%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    39,667.07
    +493.92 (+1.26%)
     
  • CAD/EUR

    0.6836
    +0.0004 (+0.06%)
     

Well heeled: Zara Tindall’s stiletto protectors stop that sinking feeling

<span>Zara Tindall wears pink suede shoes with plastic heel protectors to a Buckingham Palace garden party in London.</span><span>Photograph: Yui Mok/Reuters</span>
Zara Tindall wears pink suede shoes with plastic heel protectors to a Buckingham Palace garden party in London.Photograph: Yui Mok/Reuters

It was the fashion hack you never knew you needed. But when Zara Tindall wore a pale pink satin dress to the Buckingham Palace garden party this week, it was her feet that made the fashion headlines. Battling the sodden grass on a wet day, she had placed plastic protectors on the heels of her pink suede shoes.

The practical trick is one non-royals might be keen to follow in the run-up to the summer wedding season to avoid sinking into grass in heels. Similar protectors are available online, and are very affordable. Woman & Home published an article titled “Zara Tindall’s £5.99 trick to protect her favourite shoes is something we’ll be doing for all outdoor events this summer”.

Related: Great lengths: a maxi dress is perfect for an early summer wedding

ADVERTISEMENT

The protectors can be traced back to Clean Heels, a company based in Hampshire. Its founder and CEO, Ally Stevenson, patented her design in 2006 and in 2015 went on Dragon’s Den with them. The company sells thousands of the £3.99 clear protectors each week online and at outlets including Timpsons.

Stevenson said that while Tindall’s protectors were not, on this occasion, bought from Clean Heels – “they have gaps in the heel where mud can go in, ours is all concealed” – they do illustrate the usefulness of the idea.

“We have had ours [used] on Downton Abbey, on Hollyoaks, we’ve had good celebrities wearing them,” said Stevenson. “But at the end of the day, all I want to do is please women out there and give them a good day out without sinking in the grass.”