A D'Orsay is a shoe of a special cut in which only the toe and heel are closed, while the sides at the instep are cut away and open, baring the arch of the foot on one or both sides. This elegant detail visually lengthens and slims the leg, making the shoe especially refined and feminine. The style, by legend, was named after the French Count d'Orsay — a famous 19th-century dandy. D'Orsay is most often made on a heel (classic or stiletto), and it sounds festive and seductive while remaining elegantly restrained. The open sides add lightness to the shoe. A D'Orsay is an elegant shoe with open sides at the instep, in which cutaway sides bare the arch of the foot, visually lengthening the leg and creating an especially refined, feminine and slightly seductive silhouette with a touch of historical charm.
