Wear a fancy ballerina and you can dance the night away – and into the new year | Jess CartnerMorley

The past few years have been record-breaking by nearly every metric, with a pandemic, war, recession, and disastrous prime ministers. Not to mention the poor queen - and have you seen the price of the eggs?

But it's almost champagne time, and New Year's Eve is the time to look for the positives. So I urge you to give thanks, my friends, for one thing the last five years have done well, and that is the flat evening shoe. We live in the golden age of the chic apartment. As far as golden eras go, it's no match for Renaissance Florence or the 60s. But we are where we are.

The New Year's Eve is a perfect excuse to celebrate this shoe. You're likely not only to get dressed, but to stay awake until after midnight. During the pandemic, I blindly swore - probably in this column - that I would never go back to heels, but enjoyed tottering around in my now-vintage Manolos, Choos and Louboutins.

Ha! We talked a lot about nonsense during confinement. See also: takeaway coffees, which I rightly thought I'd abstain from forever. But my pain threshold is nowhere near where it was the last decade. I'm only leaving the house in heels if I'm sure I'll be home and kicking them this way at 11 p.m.

And we don't have spoiled for choice. Our flat coupe flows like a tower of champagne. The rule of thumb for the shoe was that if it didn't have a heel it didn't really have a vibe, but those days are long gone. The modern party flat started with the Valentino Rockstud over a decade ago. You may think you don't know this shoe, but you do. The toe is pointed, the edges and straps studded with square stones: a little elegant, a little punk. The Rockstud was the first It shoe to come in a flat and stiletto version, and it was a game changer. Suddenly, a shoe no longer needed a high heel to have high status.

I intended to leave out the fact that one One of the reasons we wear high heels is to make our legs look longer, because it's the kind of under-the-radar fat phobia that doesn't need oxygen. So, I will only say that if the silhouette of an evening dress with flats does not suit you, try the sharpest flats you can find, because it makes a real difference in your elegance. A pointed end is to a round what a freshly sharpened pencil is to a blunt: more polished, less casual.

The perfect dish for tomorrow night something like this. A pointed toe (or pointed with a square point, if that's more comfortable). Dark matte leather is the most practical; satin or silk is the least practical. I'd point you in the middle, towards metallic leather (Boden makes a great one in silver with a pearl-studded strap for £77) or a high-shine patent in black or navy. Both are tough enough for the sidewalks but dressy enough for the dance floor.

Some kind of flourish at the tip may be needed. It could be a buckle – Mango's gold-on-black pair seem more expensive than £45.99 – or a low-cut front that reveals what was known in the 2000s as 'toe cleavage'. (Vestiaire Collective is a good source: a quick search reveals unworn flamingo pink Jimmy Choos for £100.) It gives them that Cinderella magic that a shoe needs for a night out.

Now you can put your best foot forward without tiptoeing. And you won't have to leave the party until the clock strikes midnight.

Hair and Makeup: Sophie Higginson in Chanel Ask for the Moon and Chanel The LiftPro. Model: Eliana at Body London. Dress: £160, samsoe.com. Shoes: £120, boden.co.uk

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