As a basic definition, work pumps are simply the high heeled shoes that a woman wears to work. But there is so much more to work pumps than this.
It is easy to see why work pumps are true icons of corporate style. A classic high heeled pump symbolises power and oozes balance and poise.
A great pump boosts confidence and presence.
A perfect pair of pumps say “I’m here, and I’ve got this!”
It’s no wonder that work pumps are an essential of the working wardrobe!
Lots of different heels can be called work pumps
While my definition of “work pumps” is obvious, it may be useful to consider why work pumps can be thought of as a special category of high heels by themselves, and why I made this site to review and rate work pumps specifically.
Classically we might think of work pumps as being black, plain, closed-toe, stiletto-heeled pumps but a definition of work pumps really should be much broader than that.
In fact, many different kinds of heels can make it as work pumps: these come in many different colors, sizes (duh) and styles: closed toe, peep toe, slingback…
Then each of those styles can have many sub-styles: for example, closed toe pumps can come with pointy toes, rounded toes or almond toe styles (almond is somewhere between pointy and rounded – there’s no exact definition).
So what is it that makes a work pump unique?
Work pumps must be fit-for-purpose
What all work pumps have in common is that they must be fit-for-purpose.
This means they must be comfortable and tough at the same time (protecting our tender feet for long periods but also staying intact themselves).
Work pumps also need to be both corporate-appropriate (not nightclub appropriate, unless you work in a nightclub), and versatile (to go with many outfits).
Increasingly, budget is an important factor too.
$1,000 designer work pumps might sound like a great idea, but who has the budget for that? At the other end of the scale, work pumps which are dirt cheap will look terrible and not do what you need them to do.
It’s little wonder that actually finding the perfect pair of work pumps can be quite an ask! Despite the many manufacturers who crowd the category, many women still liken the search as looking for a Holy Grail.
Why I created WorkPumps.com
That’s one of the reasons that I created this website.
I’ve been researching work pumps for myself for 10 years and, for much of that, I was running a shoe blog too.
All of the posts I put up about work pumps attracted traffic and comments so I began to realise that I wasn’t the only one who was obsessed with the hunt.
I also knew that work pumps changed from season to season, sometimes subtly, and it was hard to easily compare between models and reviews without doing a lot of work.
And even then, not all reviews were relevant. I saw some great work pumps receiving negative reviews because they were “a bit dull for a birthday party” and so on.
In the end I drew together all my knowledge, posts and experience and created this site. I asked some stylish women for their opinions too and I drew on trustworthy online reviews.
As well as running this work pump blog, I update my site’s recommendations regularly to take into account new and emerging work pump trends and feedback.
Recently I had to turn comments off because of all the spam but if you’d like to help out with some feedback about my site please use my contact form.
Anyhow, thanks for visiting. I hope that you enjoy my site and I wish you good luck with your purchasing.