Are my feet too ugly for sandals? Anne Robinson advises

A reader asks

I went shopping with a friend the other day for a holiday in the sun and tried on some pretty sandals.

She said she was surprised I’d wear something like that with my “poor old feet” (I have bunions and a hammer toe) but then tried to make a joke of it.

I’m now paranoid and thinking deck shoes only! 

Anne Robinson replies

First off, I’d make a sharp note not to take this friend shopping ever again. If you want a second opinion about what to wear, better to go shopping with someone known for their tact. Not a so-called friend who wants to share some unhelpful truths about your appearance. 

Very few women in middle or later age have feet suitable to feature in a glamorous TV commercial. You might be surprised how many famous models have feet that don’t live up to the rest of their body. 

If perfection were required of anyone fancying a pair of sandals, the industry would have collapsed yonks ago. The whole point of opened-toed shoes is that they are brilliant if the weather is hot.

I wonder, by the way, if you know that delightful Jenny Joseph poem called Warning. It begins: 'When I am old, I shall wear purple with a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.'

In this spirit, unless your holiday involves crossing the Atlantic single-handed, please forget to pack the deck shoes.