Well-heeled

Sarah Toner is a former ballerina whose Fabulous in High Heelscourse in London teaches women to walk with elegance and poise, on and off heels. On a recent visit to Dublin, she gave me a short series of stretching exercises that really made a difference to my calves, which seize up just looking at a pair of heels.

Toner's classes include leg and posture work and exercises that, she says, should be a part of daily life: "If you are going to wear high heels, wear them well – otherwise you make a fool of yourself." Toner's new book, Fabulous in High Heels, with illustrations by Ivana Nohel and an introduction by Jennifer Saunders, is a handbag-sized guide to improving heel-wearing technique. See sarahtoner.co.uk.