Crystal Heels: Mach & Mach’s Most Sparkly Styles

For crystal heels with real craft behind them, Mach & Mach is the house to know, and the Crystal Flame Red Round Toe Mules and the Diamond of Elizabeth PVC Pumps in Silver show its range at a glance. The Georgian label, founded in Tbilisi in 2012 by sisters Nina and Gvantsa Macharashvili, builds almost every collection around crystals, and since 2020 its artisans in Parabiago, Italy, have set each one by hand. This edit covers the sparkliest styles in the current Luxury Handbags launch, from studded PVC mules to jewelled mesh, with notes on wearing and caring for them.

What makes a crystal heel worth buying

Search for crystal heels, rhinestone heels and embellished heels and you will find a wide spread of quality. The difference shows up close. Glued, machine-scattered stones tend to sit unevenly and catch on hems; hand-set crystals sit flush, follow the line of the shoe and stay put. Mach & Mach makes a point of the second approach. Its production hub in Parabiago, a 4,000-square-metre site in Lombardy’s shoemaking district, is where the heels are sculpted and the crystals are placed one at a time.

The other test is restraint. A good crystal shoe uses sparkle as structure, outlining a bow, forming a flower, wrapping a ring around the toe, so the shoe still reads as a shape from across a room. That is why the house signature, the Double Bow, works: twin bows traced in crystals rather than a shoe buried under them. If you are new to the label, our guide to who Mach & Mach are covers the lines in full.

Crystal Flame: the heeled mule covered in crystals

Crystal Flame is the most literal answer to the question of sparkly heels. The upper is sculpted PVC studded with crystals, set on a 95 mm heel with a round toe, a kid leather lining and a calf leather sole. Because the crystals cover the whole vamp, the shoe throws light from every angle, and the round toe keeps the proportions soft.

• Crystal Flame Round Toe Mules in Pink: the warmest of the set, lovely with pale tailoring.
• Crystal Flame Round Toe Mules in Lavender: a cooler tone that pairs well with grey, navy and silver jewellery.
• Crystal Flame Golden Brown Round Toe Mules: the easiest to wear with black, camel and gold.
• Crystal Flame Round Toe Mules in Grey: the most discreet, and close to a metallic in candlelight.

As heeled mules go, these are evening shoes first. A backless 95 mm style suits dinners, drinks and parties where you are seated for part of the night. For a mule with less height, see our edit of Mach & Mach mules and sandals.

Clear heels and PVC heels with mirrored details

Clear heels and PVC heels have moved on from the cheap versions of a decade ago. The modern take pairs transparent PVC with leather trims that frame the foot, so the shoe looks deliberate rather than plastic. Mach & Mach does this with mirrored calf leather.

The Double Bow PVC Pumps 110mm in Silver are the dramatic option: a tapered toe, PVC with mirror calf leather details, an adjustable ankle strap with crystal details and the twin crystal bows. The Diamond of Elizabeth PVC pump in the opening paragraph sits at the same 110 mm height and adds heels with crystals, a hand-stitched pearl strap and an oversized crystal ring at the toe. For a lower, simpler line, the Crystal Button PVC Pumps in Silver stand at 85 mm with a tapered toe and an adjustable ankle strap, and the Crystal Button PVC Mules 85mm in Silver give the same look with an open toe.

Clear shoes lengthen the leg because the eye reads through them, which makes them useful under long gowns and cropped trousers alike. Luxury Handbags has a separate guide to Amina Muaddi glass and PVC heels if you want to compare approaches.

Rhinestone heels on mesh: Lotus Flower and Crystal Net

For anyone who likes rhinestone heels but finds full coverage too much, the mesh lines are the answer. Lotus Flower sets crystal jewels in a flower motif against sheer mesh, so the sparkle appears to float on the skin.

• Lotus Flower Black Mesh Slingback: pointed toe, 85 mm heel, mesh upper with a kid leather lining.
• Lotus Flower Mesh Pumps in Brown: a 100 mm pointed pump finished with a handmade crystal chain and crystal zircon jewels.
• Lotus Flower Patent Sandals in Black: patent leather, a 100 mm heel and an adjustable ankle strap with the same crystal chain.

The Crystal Net Black Mules with Straps take a quieter route: a round toe in net, crystal embellishments and strap detail on a 65 mm heel. It is the pair to choose if you want sparkle you can walk in. For more on low heights, read our guide to kitten heels with crystals.

Embellished heels: Diamond of Elizabeth and the crystalized corset

Embellished heels do not have to be sheer. The Diamond of Elizabeth Ring Toe Leather Mules in Silver are open-toe mules in calf leather on a 95 mm heel, built around an oversized crystal ring at the toe. The ring does the work, so the rest of the shoe stays clean.

The crystalized corset styles borrow the lacing of a corset and pick it out in crystals. The Crystalized Corset Pointed Toe Pumps in White are patent leather on an 85 mm heel, and the Crystalized Corset Pointed Toe Pumps in Dark Brown do the same in suede, a good autumn choice with knitwear and wool. Both suit people who like the idea of sculptural heels but prefer a classic pump shape.

How to wear sparkly heels, and how to look after them

The simplest rule with sparkly heels is to let them be the only shiny thing below the waist. Pair crystal shoes with matte fabrics such as crepe, wool, cotton poplin and denim, and keep jewellery in the same metal tone as the stones. A sheer style like the Galaxy Tulle Mules in Blue, in net and tulle with a crystal accessory on an 85 mm heel, works with a column dress because there is no colour clash at the ankle. For sequins and crystals worn together, our guide to how to wear sequins covers the balance.

Care is mostly common sense. Store each shoe in its own dust bag so stones do not rub against each other, and keep them out of direct heat, which can soften adhesives on any embellished shoe. Wipe PVC with a soft, slightly damp cloth and dry it straight away. Avoid brushing satin and mesh near the crystals; dab marks instead. If a stone comes loose, keep it and take the pair to a specialist cobbler rather than gluing it at home.

Crystal heels around the world

United States

US women’s sizes run roughly UK plus 2 to 2.5, so an EU 38 is usually a US 7.5 to 8. Crystal heels are a staple of black tie galas and autumn wedding season, and clear PVC styles suit cocktail dress codes where a gown would be too much.

United Kingdom

UK sizes are about EU minus 33, so EU 38 is a UK 5. Crystal shoes work for black tie, Christmas parties and winter weddings; for daytime formality such as Royal Ascot, a closed pump with a smaller crystal detail sits better than full sparkle. Our black tie dress code guide explains the rules.

The Gulf (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar)

Gulf weddings and Eid evenings are where crystal heels come into their own, often under floor-length gowns and abayas where only the toe shows. Open-toe mules such as Crystal Flame and Diamond of Elizabeth are practical here because they slip on and off easily at events that move between rooms.

Europe

EU sizing is the native system for Mach & Mach, which runs EU 35 to 42 with half sizes on most styles. Across Italy, France and Spain, crystal mules are worn to summer weddings and late dinners, and mesh styles like Lotus Flower suit warm evenings.

Crystal heels: common questions

Are Mach & Mach crystals set by hand?

Yes. Mach & Mach states that its artisans in Parabiago, Italy, sculpt the heels and set each crystal by hand, which is why the stones sit flush and follow the line of each shoe.

What is the most sparkly Mach & Mach shoe?

The Crystal Flame mules are the most heavily embellished, with a sculpted PVC upper studded with crystals across the whole vamp on a 95 mm heel. Luxury Handbags carries them in red, pink, lavender, grey and golden brown.

Do Mach & Mach make clear heels?

Mach & Mach makes several PVC styles, including the Double Bow PVC Pumps 110mm in Silver, the Diamond of Elizabeth PVC Pumps in Silver and the Crystal Button PVC pumps and mules. Each combines transparent PVC with leather and crystal details.

Which crystal heel is easiest to walk in?

Choose a lower heel with a strap. The Crystal Net Black Mules with Straps sit on a 65 mm heel, and Mach & Mach also makes crystal-trimmed kitten heels in its Le Cadeau and Double Bow lines.

How do you clean crystal heels?

Wipe PVC with a soft damp cloth, dab satin and mesh gently, and never soak the shoes. Store each Mach & Mach shoe in its own dust bag so the crystals do not scratch each other.

How does Mach & Mach compare with Amina Muaddi for crystal heels?

Both labels are known for crystal-embellished evening shoes, with different signatures. Luxury Handbags compares them side by side in Amina Muaddi vs Mach & Mach, and covers Amina Muaddi’s sparkle in silver and crystal heels.