'Every summer has a new take on the deconstructed shoe, and 2013 is all about the two-strap sandal'
There is a lot to be said for the judicious flashing of a little flesh. A few inches of skin can transform a look that would otherwise be dowdy. This is not only about sex appeal – it's about making a softer kind of human connection. A glimpse of skin humanises an outfit. (See: the difference between a man in a formal cuffed shirt, and that same shirt with the cuffs rolled.)
But overuse of the lowest common denominator version of this technique, for lowest common denominator purposes, gives the flashing of flesh a bad name. It starts with the hitching up of a school uniform skirt; a decade later, it most likely involves unbuttoning a button or two on a blouse. As a knee-jerk reaction against this, designers who want to be taken seriously will swathe their mannequins in reams of black fabric. There is nothing saucy about rolling up a sleeve, but it has an impact. Try it: stand in front of a mirror in trousers and a jacket, and push the sleeves up to your elbows. See?
The other route for non-slutty flesh-flashing is a bare ankle, and an almost-bare shoe. Summer shoes are an opportunity to harness the impact of skin without lifting a hemline or undoing any buttons. A nearly-naked shoe is not as butter-wouldn't-melt as baring a forearm, because legs are never entirely unsuggestive, and neither is toe cleavage, but neither is it as loaded as baring your shoulders.
Every summer has a new take on the deconstructed shoe, and 2013 is all about the two-strap sandal. The two-strap is where minimalism meets ice-cream weather: simple and clean-lined, with a strap over the ball of the foot and another around the ankle. The obtuse upside-down shoe architecture of recent summers – ankle boots with peep-toes, for instance – are a thing of the past. A popular twist on the two-strap is for the ankle strap to be a contrasting shade. Cute touch, but make it work for you: for instance, a nude ankle strap with a black toe strap will be far more flattering for your leg than the other way around.
Not, of course, that allure is the point here. Just a simple human connection. That, and an excuse to buy a new pair of shoes.
• Jess wears top, £39.99, and heels, £29.99, both zara.com. Skirt, £875, by Michael Kors, from net-a-porter.com.
Photograph: David Newby for the Guardian. Hair and makeup: Dani Richardson using YSL Beauté.