Shoe Designer Sophia Webster’s Guide to the Perfect Party-Shoe Pedicure

The champagne-fueled parties this week call for head-to-toe polish, from a Saint Laurent–inspired tiara (yes, you can) down to a high-shine pedicure—a requisite, according to the shoe designer Sophia Webster. As she explains by phone from London, her ideas about beauty etiquette were imparted by her grandmother Peggy. “She was always very glamorous and well turned-out, so she definitely wouldn’t have been seen without her toenails painted,” recalls Webster, herself a pro at the lightning-fast, at-home polish job. This season, when evening festivities call for attention-getting (if not entirely winter-appropriate) footwear, it’s all the more important to have your feet prepped and ready. Here, Webster talks about the perfect party shoes, her go-to polishes, the London nail spa she stops by for occasional pampering, and why glitter—in nail polish or in fashion—has timeless appeal.

On the Perfect Party Shoe:
“This time of year definitely warrants a glamorous statement heel—anything with a bit of festive sparkle, whether metallics, embellished details, or crystals,” says Webster, who is lacing up her strappy, rose-gold Delphine booties for her company holiday party. To ring in the New Year, she’s undecided between the Evangeline—“It’s got iridescent white angel wings on the back, so that would definitely be a conversation-starter”—and the black-satin Rosalind, with a crystal-encrusted beaded heel that has disco ball written all over it.

Tips for Picking a Polish Shade:
“I always work from the shoes when I’m getting ready,” she explains. “If I’m wearing black shoes, I’ll probably go for a deep red [polish]. I use a lot of Revlon nail varnish because they last for ages; they do a glittery red color called Gambling Heart. If I’m wearing metallic shoes, it’s nice to go with a nude. Wah London does a really good pearlized varnish called Oysters Delight.”

In Praise of the Speedy Pedicure:
A busy mother of a 14-month-old, Webster knows how to make every minute count—down to the on-the-fly paint job. “I’m good and I’m really fast!” she says. “Revlon does a quick-dry liquid that you put on wet nail varnish, and it instantly dries. I use that a lot. My husband’s waiting in the cab, and I’m like, ‘I need to do the nails!’” she adds with a laugh. “I don’t think there’s any excuse, really. If you were short on time, you could just paint the toes that you can see!”

When to Get the Salon Treatment:
“I don’t have much time for that, but sometimes I’ll go for a pedicure because you’ve got your phone in your hands and you can do your emails,” she says. “There’s a really good place called Cheeky, just down the road from the studio. You definitely feel a whole different sense of being pampered when you come out of there. I don’t think you can really achieve that when you’re on your own.” A bonus for the party-bound: “They can do your hair at the same time.”

Why Glitter Is Forever:
A nude pedicure might be in the cards this week for Webster, but the gel-manicure devotee has red glitter in mind for her hands. As to whether full-on sparkle has a target demographic, she sees it as an individual choice. “It’s totally timeless and ageless. I don’t think there’s a cutoff date when you can and can’t wear glitter,” she says. “My nan used to have a glitter suit that she would wear on Christmas Day. It was so cute! She would leave a trail of glitter, and then my mom would spend until the New Year Hoovering it up.”

 

Ruffles! The perfect solution to holiday dressing:

 

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