I like that the light snakeskin here works so well with the stacked wooden heel.
Here’s a classic: Rachel Comey’s Mars Mule, which also looks fantastic (and is marked down) in white and yellow.
A streamlined-but-ladylike pair with a very walkable heel.
This one from Frye is pleasingly clunky, for those of you who subscribe to the notion that the clunkier the shoe, the thinner the thigh; here’s a cheaper version from Madewell.
A pretty much perfectly flat pair perfect for weekends.
The shape here is both sexy and sculptural.
I couldn’t resist including this fun, furry Rachel Comey option.
A woven pair with a towering—but sturdy—heel.
And how fantastic are these? If I ever do a post on parties in a shoe, this would definitely be included.
I’d treat this chic snakeskin option like a neutral and wear it with everything, but it’d look especially good with all white.
I never liked mules…even in their late 90’s hey-day with Sex & the City.
Totally off topic, but has anyone been re-watching ‘Mary Tyler-Moore’ on Hulu? Oh my stars, that 70’s fashion is to die for! I’d wear every outfit from the first couple of seasons.
Mules are my go-to summer dress-up shoe. I’m a fan of the low heel, tho. But they seem to elevate everything I wear with them. Great post, Kim!
I also adore mules!!! I would love to see a post on parties in a shoe.
I love the way mules look on others but can’t stand the clunky sound they make and the threat of a turned ankle, all in the name of style.
LOVE the first pair. And LOVE the Antolina pair. However, I have never really mastered the art of walking-in-a-mule. I don’t know if I’m just not trying on a pair that fits my foot or if my walk is not conducive to that type shoe or what, but I find my foot just slips out of them. So frustrating! And, Sidenote: I received my ThirdLove bra this past weekend and it may be the most comfortable bra I have EVER owned, BUT the style reminds me a little too well of the nursing bras I wore when I needed to do that particular thing. I’m keeping it because it is so damn comfortable, but when I order another one (which will be soon) it will be a different style––maybe the lacy one!
My sister says she can’t walk in a mule either and thinks I’m crazy but I have no problem. I just love slipping them on and not messing around with straps.
I love the way mules lighten up a “look” with the heel exposed…BUT…maintaining the “Toe Grip of Death” to keep it on the foot is exhausting for me as a fast walker and stair climber. Many a mule has been left in my wake.
I lusted after a pair of Manolo Blahnik Maysale mules for ages. The red linen pair finally went on sale last fall, and when they arrived, I was ecstatic. So gorgeous! Only it was impossible for me to walk in them. Not all mules are like this—I have a pair of Fryes that I can walk in fine. But some, no way.
I absolutely adore mules!!!!!! You’ve given us some fabulous options. It’ll be hard to decide but the light snakeskin pair has definitely caught my eye.
Happily wore mules through the 90s, but just can’t walk in them anymore. They don’t stay on my feet, my calf muscles get totally strained, and I end up twisting my ankle thirty times a day. My increasingly steadfast commitment to “can’t/won’t wear uncomfortable shoes” means no more mules for me