Our middle-aged man about town wonders whether it’s possible for a chap to feel as sexy in his footwear as Carrie Bradshaw does in her Manolos? then he remembers his sleek, black, pointy ankle boots

The Mutton wonders whether a man can ever have the kind of relationship with his shoes that a woman has with her stilettos. I can honestly say that I have no desire to see the Sex and the City movie. Especially after taking a bunch of scruffy-herbert kids to Indiana Jones and the Last Gasp Sequel and finding myself surrounded by twentysomething girls knocking back cosmopolitans in the cinema bar at 3pm and giggling with a kind of pre-date excitement.

However, I confess that a few years back, I did become acquainted with Carrie, Samantha and the other two on account of Mrs Mutton’s enthusiasm for the show, and I discovered several things. First, screen journalists never seem to do any work. Secondly, they get paid a lot more than real journalists, as they are able to afford an unlimited supply of designer clothes. And thirdly, there are few things to which a girl is more attached than her stilettos.

If, as the interviews I have seen with Sarah Jessica Parker would have us believe, New York is the fifth character in the SATC franchise, then the sixth must surely be a Spanish 62-year-old named Manolo who does a nice line in high-heeled footwear.

In one scene from the show, Carrie Bradshaw is mugged. Instead of screaming, she begs: “You can take my Fendi Baguette, you can take my ring and my watch, but don’t take my Manolo Blahniks.” In a rare moment of realism, it’s no deal with Mr Mugger, and the evil heel relieves her of her, er, heels.

Now, as Carrie might say, last night I got to thinking… is there any male footwear that exerts a similar hold on the male imagination as the stiletto does on the female? A straw poll of men - well, OK, my mate Tim - would suggest not. And a straw poll of women - well, OK, my friend Josephine - would suggest that there is a very good reason for this.

Josephine asserts that the appeal of the stiletto is all to do with the fact that it makes you feel sexy. The question here, as Tim and I discussed at length, is whether men have a licence to feel “sexy” full stop. And if so, what footwear could possibly induce such a preening sensation. Certainly not Tim’s trainers. Nor my loafers. But then I remembered my ankle boots. Could a slight heel and an elegant, elongated toe do the trick? The kind of thing that the Beatles wore with their Pierre Cardin collarless suits.

I have a pair of J.M.Weston boots that I wear for best. They are in black leather, have sleek lines and the upper is cut from one clean piece of leather. I confess that when I wear them I acquire a slight swagger, like one of the Sharks in West Side Story. They look great with a suit, adding a hint of rock’n'roll. But they also work with jeans, smartening the denim’s workwear credentials. I love them.

So yes, Carrie Bradshaw, I know how you feel. But if anyone were to try to mug me, a deftly aimed kick with the chiselled toe would do the trick.