This High Street Brand Just Dropped The Most Expensive-Looking Shoe Edit I’ve Seen This Year

Over the past week, I’ve noticed a series of my colleagues wearing seriously chic shoes. Almost every day, I’ve exclaimed, “Where are they from?” and quickly found that every single person gave me the same answer. As editors, we’re often lucky enough to get an early preview of new collections and even test out the styles before release. Now, I can officially share that the highly anticipated Whistles X ESSEN collaboration has arrived.

For Winter 2025, high street hero Whistles has teamed up with ESSEN the Label, a brand dedicated to beautifully crafted footwear. The pairing is a perfect match, bringing together Whistles’ aesthetic of timeless, capsule pieces with a contemporary edge, with ESSEN’s craftspersonship, which always has longevity in mind. The collection mirrors this with a focus on timeless styles. The six-piece capsule focuses on enduring styles that feature in every great shoe collection, including the ballet flat, the Mary Jane and the classic boot. But each has been given a contemporary twist to bring a dose of modernity to these enduring silhouettes.