The first pair of luxury-brand heels I ever bought was a pair of black Casadei leather pointy-toe pumps with a bamboo stiletto heel. It was all about the bamboo, those days. That and going into severe debt as a jobless college grad who needed a pair of cute, confidence-boosting heels in which to go to job interviews.

Some decade or so later, Casadei offers a silhouette that would totally fit the same purpose, but might scare your interviewer a bit, too. The blade heel is both delicate and deadly, with an acute pointed front that shows the perfect toe cleavage (the only cleavage you can show in an interview and get away with it). That this one is in shiny patent black gives it a little fetishistic edge, like: "These shoes match the whip and cuffs I keep at home, you naughty boy. Now give me that job."