People say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but that famous quote is seriously outdated.
According to stats, the average woman spends about $25,000 on shoes throughout her lifetime! Shoes are, without a doubt, a girl’s best friend.
As much as women love shoes, there is a challenge connected to it. No, it’s not the hefty price tag or the balancing act on platform wedges. The problem is, which shoes match which outfit?
Don’t worry, it’s not rocket science! Once you’ve figured out the basics you’ll be able to find what shoes to wear with your outfit.
So are you ready? Let’s take this step by step and find out how to match your clothes with your shoes.
The Dress and Shoe Balancing Act
The first step when selecting clothing and shoes is to choose shoes that complement your clothing. This means not choosing shoes that compete with or dominate your outfit. How can you figure it out?
Stick to this golden rule: Pair busy shoes with simple outfits. And wear simple shoes with busy outfits.
Ask yourself, is my complete outfit chaotic with too many embellishments? Or do my shoes and clothing blend together too much? If you answer yes to either of these questions, you may need to swap your shoes.
It really is a balancing act!
Complementing your outfit is the most important step, but there is a lot more to it. Before you get off on the wrong foot, read these essential tips below.
What Shoes to Wear With Which Outfit
Shoes come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and styles. Different shoes match different styles of dress. When selecting your dress and shoes there are 5 things you need to consider:
- Type
- Color
- Season
- Occasion
- Safety
Let’s take a look at each one.
Type
Pumps are the most versatile shoe. You can wear them with pantsuits, long formal dresses, pencil skirts, or skinny jeans. Whether they’re flat or heeled, this closed look is a timeless classic.
Peep toes go well with bare legs. Short or knee-length dresses and skirts will match with high heeled peep toes. Opaque leggings and slouchy tops look great with flat peep toes.
Sandals are a must have for the summer. Gladiators are a safe bet and look great with most boho style summer dresses. But if your legs are chunky, opt for gladiators with thicker straps.
Boots are generally only for those cold winter months. But you can wear cute ankle boots in fall too. Pair them with some jeans and a leather jacket or short dresses and tights.
Sneakers or trainers are super comfy and great for running around doing chores. But uncool dad trainers are now all the rage with celebs, some even wearing them on the red carpet!
If you’re looking for shoes that are in style right now, try this Givenchy outlet. Yes, designer shoes don’t have to break the bank after all.
Color
If a certain color is present in your outfit, you can repeat it in your shoes. Of course, you have to be careful you don’t come across as matchy-matchy.
Even if the color isn’t in your outfit you can use matching values. For instance, deep with deep and light with light. In some cases, you can wear something contrasting, but this doesn’t always work.
Black is the most common color and that’s because it goes with pretty much anything. But don’t be afraid to try something brighter.
Nude colors elongate your legs. And because of the neutral tones, they often look good with most outfits too. Nude tones are useful for toning down a highly embellished outfit.
Outfits that have earthy tones look great with brown or tan shoes. Tan also complements lighter colored outfits too.
Gold, silver and sparkly shoes match all kinds of colors. Gold looks especially glam with black and white.
Don’t be afraid of color. You can wear colors on your feet that you would never wear in your clothing. So be bold, wacky and wear them with attitude.
Season
Season also plays a part when you’re figuring out how to match your clothes with your shoes. Some shoes are multi-seasonal and can work almost all year round. Leather pumps are a great example.
When you choose your dress and shoe combo, you need to look at the weather outside. Not only for practical reasons but for style too.
For example, your cute floral summer dress would look out of place with clunky winter boots. The same applies for winter. Imagine wearing a heavy winter coat with a pair of skimpy sandals, it just won’t work!
Of course, there will also be times when the rules don’t apply. Which is why you need to think about the occasion.
Occasion
You may choose the prettiest cutest pair of shoes for an event. But if they don’t fit the occasion, they are the wrong shoes!
For example, if you’re going to a muddy festival, kitten heels are a huge mistake. Or if you’re going to a glitzy event, flip-flops will be way too casual. These are obvious examples, but other occasions might be harder to decipher.
Before you go, think about the occasion and what it will entail. If the agenda includes a lot of walking, then heels might not be a good choice. If it’s a formal event, you may choose to wear heels or something dressier.
It’s not only the style you need to take into consideration, but it’s also the color too. Glitzy sparkly heels in bright colors may be too much for the office. But tan loafers will be too drab for a wedding.
Safety
Fashion is important, but so is safety. According to experts, healthy adults should take approximately 10,000 steps per day. With so many steps to take your shoe choice is important.
Make sure your shoes fit you properly. If you wear ill-fitting shoes for long periods of time, you may have problems in the long run.
The lower the heel the better. But that doesn’t mean you should skip wearing your platform heels for special events! Be balanced and don’t forget to give your feet a rest from time to time.
Head Over Heels
If you’ve fallen head over heels with a pair of shoes, you probably want to wear them right now! But before you do, follow these tips on what shoes to wear with what outfit. Then you’ll be runway ready 24/7.
Now you know how to work your shoes, what about the rest of your look? Do you want to find out some juicy celeb secrets in how to look good? Find out more here.