Rhinestone Heels: How to Wear Crystal Heels Day and Night
Rhinestone Heels: How to Wear Crystal Heels Day and Night
Rhinestone heels, also sold as crystal heels, are shoes with crystals set on the straps, vamp and heel. They work best as the one shiny thing in a plain outfit: a crystal mule with jeans and a tank, a crystal-strap sandal with a black dress. Alexander Wang is one of the labels best known for them; shop the mules and sandals, and read our Alexander Wang heels guide.
Crystal mules
A single crystal band on a slim heel. The Alexander Wang Cher crystal hotfix mule is the reference, in black and silver, black and jet, brown and pink.
Crystal strap sandals
Thin straps covered in crystal, sometimes wrapped around the ankle in a coil, like the Julie crystal coil sandal. These are evening shoes.
Crystal slides
For day, a crystal pool slide and platform slide gives the same sparkle flat. See platform slides.
How to wear rhinestone heels
- By day, with denim and a white tee.
- At night, with a black mini dress and no other jewellery on the feet.
- At weddings and parties, with a satin slip dress.
Shop crystal heels:
- Crystal Hotfix 85mm Denim Platform Slide in Vintage Medium Indigo: Flip Flops & Slides, Upper: 40% recycled cotton, 42% lyocell, 17% organic cotton, 1% elastane
- Crystal Hotfix Denim Pool Slide in Vintage Medium Indigo: Flip Flops & Slides, Upper: 40% recycled cotton, 42% lyocell, 17% organic cotton, 1% elastane
- Crystal Hotfix 85mm Platform Slide in Black and Silver: Flip Flops & Slides, Upper: 88% nylon, 12% spandex
- Crystal Hotfix Pool Slide in Pink: Flip Flops & Slides, Upper: 88% nylon, 12% spandex
- Cher 105mm Crystal Hotfix Mule in Black and Silver: Mules, Upper: 92% polyester, 8% elastane
- Julie 105mm Crystal Hotfix Ankle Strap Sandal in Black and Silver: Sandals, Upper: 92% polyester, 8% elastane
- Julie 105mm Crystal Hotfix Coil Sandal in Black and Silver: Sandals, Upper: 92% polyester, 8% elastane
Rhinestone heel styles compared
| Style | Heel | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal mule | High, slim | Jeans by day, dresses at night |
| Crystal strap sandal | High stiletto | Parties, weddings |
| Crystal kitten heel | Low | All-day wear |
| Crystal platform slide | Platform | Summer, travel |
Are rhinestone heels comfortable?
Comfort depends on the heel, not the crystal. A slim 105mm sandal is an evening shoe; a mule needs a snug vamp so the foot does not slide; a platform slide spreads the height across the sole. Check the strap edges: good hotfix crystal sits flat and does not scratch.
Rhinestone heels for weddings
A crystal strap sandal suits an evening wedding with a satin and crepe dress. For a garden wedding choose a block and kitten heel so you do not sink into the grass, and keep other jewellery minimal.
How to store crystal shoes
Keep each shoe in its own dust bag so the stones do not rub against the other shoe, and store them flat, never piled.
Frequently asked questions
Are rhinestone heels and crystal heels the same?
Mostly. Rhinestone is the general term; crystal usually means glass crystal stones, often heat-set (hotfix).
How do you clean rhinestone heels?
Brush with a soft dry brush and wipe with a barely damp cloth. Never soak the straps.
Can you wear rhinestone heels in the day?
Yes, with denim and plain basics, so the shoe is the only shine.
Related Posts
Where to Buy N.Peal: Stores, Stockists and Shipping
You can buy N.Peal at its own stores in London and New York, through its website, at Harrods, and at Coveti, which ships the N.Peal women's edit worldwide with every piece checked for authenticity. Coveti carries jumpers , cardigans , capes and outerwear from the current season.
N.Peal Autumn Winter 2026: The Pieces to Buy
N.Peal Autumn Winter 2026 is a collection of textures: honeycomb lounge knits, chunky cables, chevrons shot with lurex and a large outerwear offer trimmed with fur. The palette is quiet, with pebble grey, oatmeal, cashew, navy and black, lifted by rustic red and damson. Shop the full season in...
N.Peal Cashmere Dresses: Jumper, Wrap and Cable Knit Dresses
A cashmere dress is a jumper you can wear alone: warm, soft and finished with a boot. The three N.Peal shapes worth knowing are the roll neck jumper dress, the wrap dress and the long cable knit, all in the N.Peal edit , and you can shop more in midi dresses and maxi dresses at Coveti. For other...
The Best Cashmere Brands, Compared by an Editor
The best cashmere brands buy long, fine fibre, spin and knit it densely and finish it well. For cashmere itself, the London house N.Peal is our first recommendation; for Italian tailoring alongside the knitwear, Brunello Cucinelli ; for an architectural cut, The Row . Shop them all in designer...
Fur Trim Cardigans and Knitwear: The Winter Edit
A fur trim cardigan adds a fur collar, cuffs and placket to a cashmere knit, so it is warm enough to wear as a light jacket and soft at the neck. This winter the trims run from detachable fur collars to rex fur panels and shearling. N.Peal makes the widest range we carry, across cardigans ,...
Cashmere Lounge Sets, Hoodies and Joggers for Women
A cashmere lounge set is a matching top and trouser in the same knit and colour, usually a hoodie with drawcord trousers . It is the most comfortable way to travel and still look put together. N.Peal makes its lounge pieces in matching textures and shades, so you can buy the top and bottom...
Cashmere Capes and Ponchos: How to Choose and Wear Them
A cashmere cape is the easiest luxury layer there is: it goes over any jumper without bulk, needs no sizing guesswork and turns a knit outfit into something finished. Choose a lightweight knitted cape for travel and indoors, a fur-trimmed cape for winter and a woven cape to wear instead of a...
Cashmere Ply Explained: 1-Ply vs 2-Ply vs 9-Ply
Ply is the number of yarn strands twisted together before knitting. A 1-ply cashmere is fine and light for layering, 2-ply is the classic everyday weight, and 3-ply up to 9-ply makes the heavy, warm knits for real winter. Ply is not the same as quality, but it tells you how a jumper will feel...
What Is Mongolian Cashmere and Why Is It the Best?
Mongolian cashmere is the soft undercoat of goats raised on the steppes of Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, where extreme winters make the animals grow some of the longest and finest cashmere fibres in the world. Long, fine fibres make a softer knit that pills less and lasts longer. N.Peal sources...
Why Does Cashmere Pill? How to Remove and Prevent Bobbles
Cashmere pills because loose short fibres work their way to the surface and tangle into small balls where the knit rubs, under the arms and at the cuffs. Some pilling in the first weeks is normal, even in good cashmere, and it settles once the loose fibres are gone. Remove it with a cashmere...
How to Wash Cashmere by Hand, Step by Step
Wash cashmere by hand in cool water with a gentle wool wash, press the water out without wringing, then dry it flat on a towel away from heat. That keeps a cashmere jumper soft and the right size for years. Most knitwear in the N.Peal edit is labelled hand wash; tailored and fur-trimmed pieces...
N.Peal Cardigans: Cropped, Cable and Long Cashmere Cardigans
N.Peal makes cashmere cardigans in four main shapes: cropped and buttoned, classic round neck, cable knit and long. The cropped styles are the most searched this season, and the long and wrap styles do the work of a light coat indoors. Shop them in the cardigan edit and the full N.Peal...