In the pursuit of toe-curlingly delicious footwear, it’s not uncommon to be faced with the age-old dilemma of practicality versus style. We can’t be the only ones who have bought into the ‘beauty is pain’ adage at one point or another (that old chestnut!), before surreptitiously relegating those impossible-to-wear podiatrist’s nightmares to the back of the shoe cupboard. 

So, when we stumble – blisters throbbing – upon a brand that boasts a combination of elegance and ease of movement at the core of its DNA, it can feel a bit like stumbling upon stardust! Enter, Le Monde Beryl… 

Created in 2016 by friends-turned-design duo, Lily Atherton Hanbury and Katya Shyfrin, the label’s designs are inspired by a love of travel, craftsmanship and, more specifically, classic gondoliers’ slippers – the kind you see adorning all those well-heeled fellows around the Venetian waterways. Between pointed-toe mules and sleek slippers wrapped in vibrant velvets, each design evokes old world adventure-meets-modern life practicality with the panache you’d expect from the brand’s Italian muses.  

What’s in a name? Turns out, a lot! In this case, the brand’s moniker refers to a family of precious stones that includes emerald, aquamarine, morganite and heliodor among its number – all long-considered to be treasures for intrepid travellers.

And Le Monde Beryl is certainly what we’d call a gem of a find… 

Slip(per) into 2018 and shop our edit of Le Monde Beryl here: