Get This: Lucite Heels

Maybe it’s a subconscious fixation with glass slippers, but we’ve always been drawn to see-through shoes (ah, jellies). This season’s clear heels have that playfulness we love, but with a harder, more sophisticated edge. The same material used in hockey rink walls and to bulletproof police riot-control vehicles, Lucite marched down spring runways in the form of powerful wedges and sturdy platforms, in both electric colors and neutral metallics. A pair of sleek Valentino wedges ramp up the impact of a bold trapeze dress, while gemstone-covered slides by Marc Jacobs lend otherwise ordinary basics a bit of interest.

Though Lucite can play tough, its current high-end incarnations don’t skimp on sumptuous fabrics. Styles by designers like Jacobs and Stuart Weitzman mix in linen and leather complements, ensuring that whatever your style, the shoe will fit.

Pictured: From top, patent leather and Lucite wedges, $695, Valentino; leather, vinyl, and Lucite wedges, $298, Stuart Weitz-man. Other options: Leather and crystal heels, $895, Marc Jacobs.