High drama

There are not that many occasions when I feel a sense of womanly solidarity with Rick Parfitt's seriously glamorous blonde wife, Patti. But the moment at Silverstone racetrack where she found that the heel of her stiletto shoe was firmly embedded in a metal grate, where it stayed until she was extricated by her rock-star husband, was one of them.

I've had my own share of humiliation. In the London Library I once fell flat on my face, with an undignified yelp.

As we stiletto fans can tell you, the problem is that the heels are, like the dagger from which they get their name, narrow. We risk doing untold damage every time we totter out the door, or leap on to the dance floor. In Victoria Beckham's case, she even walked the gangplank in a pair of five-inch spikes.

You can't run in high heels, nor walk really either, and the heels wear down with remarkable speed, involving eyewatering repair bills. But they're so damn sexy, none of that matters. I wore my first pair aged 18 and I still love the exhilaration of wearing them. They don't just give you longer legs: stilettos with a curved heel also give another curve to the leg and have a mesmerising effect on men.

They lift your bottom and they give your walk a deliberate sway it doesn't have in pumps. In fact, the wobble as you wear your stilettos, especially taller ones, can give you an impression of vulnerability - a good, if deceptive look, I've found.

These days there are no rules about where or when you should wear stilettos. You can pair them with trousers, not just skirts. If worn with a mini, perhaps don some thick opaque tights, like Kate Moss did recently, if you want to avoid flashing your rump when you trip. I think the best tip I can offer is just; don't try to walk far.

If, unlike Posh, you don't have a chauffeur-driven car, walk to the bus in your pumps and keep your heels in your handbag. And beware metal grates, cracks in the pavement and slippery dance floors.