Fashion: Holes In The Sides Of Her Shoes

From the catwalk to the red carpet, the hot footwear trend this season is cutout sandals. Evolved from their trendy ankle-boot ancestors, they offer a sexy spin on booties for warm weather. Oscar de la Renta has snipped straight to the point with the befittingly named Cut-Out Bootie, which maintains the classic ankle-boot shape but exposes a triangle of skin just behind the toes (€489; neimanmarcus .com). Jimmy Choo has created the rebellious Anise Biker Leather Sandal, embellished with bold gems that will be sure to sparkle the next time you take your Ducati motorcycle out for a spin (€866; www.jimmychoo.com). For a softer look, the Manolo Blahnik Hande sandals come in black, gray or turquoise leather and feature triple straps and button closures (€632), while the whimsical red Bu sandals, with a provocative black-and-white striped heel, might have been Dorothy's shoe of choice (€626; manolo blahnik.com). But stealing the spotlight is the metallic Christian Dior Extreme Cutout Sandal, which comes in either silver or gold-tone python finish. With stud detailing and a nearly 12cm-tall heel, this chic sandal shows just the right ratio of python to human skin, and holes that definitely don't need filling (€531; dior.com).

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