The Scrunch Shoe’s Elegant Revival Has Arrived

The last time I stepped foot in a pair of scrunch heels was around 2004. On the occasion of a Friday night dance, my best friends and I had purchased inexpensive patent leather pumps to match our respective dress colors (I opted for royal purple). Miraculously, the shoes also made the journey to college with me before eventually being tossed out after a heel fell off junior year. Up until now, I hadn’t conceived of their return, merely regarding them as a relic of Y2K’s many fleeting trends. But, as with most items recently resuscitated from the early aughts, scrunched footwear looks much more elegant this time around.

We have a few designers to thank for this, beginning with Phoebe Philo, whose Pucker Pump features a rounded toe and ruched rim, available in a slew of covetable colors, and with a tall, indented sleek heel (also available in a low kitten-heel version). Herbert Levine’s Gather Around leather pump has played a lead role in the scrunch’s revival as well. The fashion editor favorite is detailed with a bow and features a versatile 55mm heel length that can be styled for work and weekends alike. (If you’re in the market for a clever rainy day shoe, the brand offers them in a transparent material.)