Best Mid-Heel Mules to Buy This Summer

last updated 14 August 2019

Scrolling 0.5 seconds into the abyss of Instagram, it's clear to see that the "ugly" shoe trend in the form of "dad" sneakers is sticking around. But what if we were to reveal the new family member in town? "Mom" mules are reigning supreme in the style stakes amongst the influencers, and the more elegant dressers amongst us (read: those who loathe athleisure) are really quite thrilled to ring in a new shoe trend.

The shoes feature heel heights of at most two inches and offer slightly retro finishes (think metallics, colored leathers, square toes), adding to the wholly enjoyable feeling of prancing around in our mom's '80s shoes when we were but wee babes, but when Fendi and Rupert Sanderson are on board, they're getting a very modern seal of approval. Need further proof? Mango's Committed sandals recently sold out, got restocked, and sold out again within hours of landing on site—the power of the "mom" mule is clear to see.

What makes these pairs different to the usual mule clan? It's all about the slim low-down cross strap, making them slightly trickier to stay on your feet, but once they're on, you'll struggle to (want to) remove them all summer—trust us. What's nice is that they're a go-with-everything kind of purchase—we've seen influencers wearing them with high-waisted jeans as easily as they do with a party dress. Keep scrolling to see how to wear these new mid-heel mules and to shop some of our favorites below.

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And Finally's Anna (left) and Florrie (right) have both been favoring this kind of mule style on their holidays.

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The whole world is regramming this shot from Pernille.

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Dana's mixing eras here with a '70s dress and '90s heels. We're into it.

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Anum of Desert Mannequin takes the full '80s route with leopard print and gold hoops.

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Hana's top-and-tailing of her jeans with lemon yellow really feels right.

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What did we tell you about jeans and mules? Irina's combination just works.

Shop our favorites

Rupert Sanderson

Maeve Cutout Leather Sandal

Pair with a polka-dot midi dress for after dark.

H&M

Pink Mules

All hail H&M.

Jeffrey Campbell

H8ER Slides

Edited

Pernille Kitten Heels

Pernille has designed these for the affordable store we're shopping right now.

Nine West

Lynton

Stella McCartney

Faux Leather Mules

Bloggers are snapping these up in white, but we have a soft spot for the gold.

Mari Giudicelli

Jeanne Sandals

Rejina Pyo

Lottie Bow-Embellished Suede Mules

There's nothing like a pair of sculptural heels to get us to add to cart.

ATP Atelier

Peonia Vachetta Leather Mules

They also come in yellow and black, in case you were wondering.

Jeffrey Campbell

Honey Slides

Salvatore Ferragamo

Patent Leather Kitten Heels

You might now fancy perusing the $80 sneakers our editor bought immediately.

This post originally appeared on Who What Wear UK.

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Harriet Davey is a freelance fashion editor who has been part of Who What Wear's extended team since 2017. She previously worked in print at Look magazine and has since worked across print, digital and social for many other titles, including British Vogue, Stylist, Grazia, Refinery29 and Marie Claire. Also a stylist, Harriet has had the pleasure of producing cover shoots and editorials along with commercial shoots for brands including Boux Avenue, Watches of Switzerland, Benefit Cosmetics and Revolution. To add to this, Harriet also works in live TV styling for ITV’s This Morning.