Found! The Perfect Pump (You'll need One in Every Color!)

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Though I work from home now, I started my career in NYC in banking and then as a non-profit fundraiser, and I remember the daily mental debate: "Do I wear comfy shoes to commute in, and pack my heels to change into at the office? Run across town for my 3pm meeting? Can I walk to drinks after work in these heels?..." I developed a system where I owned a flat and heeled version of each shoe in my closet to navigate this conundrum, commuting to work in, say, a black ballet flat, then putting on my black heels when I reached the office. I remember thinking “A man must have designed these... They’re beautiful but how are we supposed to walk in them?!” So it should come as no surprise that the most comfortable heel I’ve ever encountered was designed by a woman - Sarah Flint - who knows that NYC working woman conundrum well. I’ve been following Sarah Flint on Instagram for quite some time. She started her eponymous brand when she was only 25 years old, and a short 6 years later counts Meghan Markle, Amal Clooney, and Cindy Crawford as some of her best customers. (And in the case of Cindy, investors!) I first discovered Sarah Flint when Meghan Markle wore the Natalie flat to attend the 2017 Invictus Games. Meghan owns multiple pairs of Sarah Flint heels and now I know why - these heels are incredibly comfortable and can keep up with a royal on tour! Sarah is one of those people that is so passionate about what she does it’s utterly contagious. After studying at Parsons, FIT, and Ars Sutoria in Milan, Sarah took two years to prototype her “perfect pump” and landed on a sexy silhouette that is unbelievably comfortable. From the perfect arch support to the additional 6mm of padding these are far and above the most walkable heels I’ve ever tried and the heel is 85mm (3.5 inches) high! Sarah makes some bold claims about these handmade beauties so I decided to put them to the test and wore them for 6 hours straight the first day, walking over 2 miles. I was a little worried I might tear up my feet right before vacation, but the perfect pump looks and feels amazing from day one - no breaking in required! A huge part of the shoe's beauty is the thoughtful engineering behind the deceptively simple silhouette. Sarah developed a proprietary rubber sole for grip and the elegant heel has a center steel rod to ensure stable footing even on the hills of San Francisco. From work events to date nights I love a pointy toed shoe and appreciate the wider toe box so my feet don’t feel crowded. The sexy V-shaped vamp elongates your legs and gives you just the right amount of toe-cleavage while still holding your foot in place. If you’re on the hunt for the perfect pump look no further, and if her stilettos are this comfortable I can’t wait to try the “Emma” (with a tortoise-shell block heel), the “Rosie” (a loafer with a little bit of lift), and her “Natalie” flat with the sweetest asymmetric bow.

Sarah Flint Perfect Pump Lipstick Red Suede

Sarah Flint Perfect Pump Leopard Calfhair

(To jumpstart your collection get $50 off your Sarah Flint order with code "STACIE50".)

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I also think there’s so much to learn from this brand about creating community online. Their Instagram stories are some of my favorites, and I felt like I knew all the women in the office before we ever discussed collaborating due to their weekly series in which Molly walks around the office asking her colleagues a question of the week and highlighting the SF shoe they’re wearing. I’m also increasingly curious about who, where, and how my clothing and accessories are made and I love going behind the scenes with Sarah and the team as they visit the family-owned factories in Northern Italy that handcraft each beautiful shoe. (See what I’m talking about here!) These artisans have perfected their techniques over a century and are called on to manufacture heels for some of the most luxurious fashion houses in the world. With Sarah’s direct to consumer approach, we can access incredibly luxurious shoes without the 6x markup of traditional retailers, so you can not only find the perfect pump but possibly buy them in every color.