Fashion: Down to earth

I've never made it a secret - I like high heels. The higher and more ridiculous, the better.

In fact, I used to spend so much time in my high heels that when I started working from home and wandering around in bare feet more often, my calf muscles protested loudly for months at being released.

Of course, super-high heels are super-impractical, no matter how fantastic they look. They're dire on gravel driveways, tricky for walking down steep hills and prone to becoming stuck in that inconvenient space between a lift's doors and its floor.

Everyone I've ever leant on while navigating tricky terrain in my high shoes will be pleased, then, that mid-height heels are hot for 2013.

At first I wasn't sure about this. The only mid-heel I could remember was the kind my teachers wore: patent court shoes in uninspiring navy.

But the mid-heels popping up now are surprisingly stylish. They are allegedly more feminine and graceful than

in-your-face 20cm spikes and I concede they are far more user-friendly and comfortable.

I bought a pair from Ziera at the weekend and they do seem to strike the perfect balance between practicality and fashion. They're more Kate Middleton than Camilla and are great when flat shoes wouldn't be dressy enough but you can't face teetering on torture chamber spikes.

They work with trousers or dresses but I think they're best with knee-length pencil skirts.

Because the heel is a lot more subtle than a tall stiletto, you can play around with colours or styles without the effect being too dramatic.