How to Choose the Right Shoes for Your Outfit

Whether your shoes are simple and worn to complement what you are wearing, or extravagant and designed to steal the show, the shoes you choose can make or break your outfit.

Team our gorgeous Peche Argent Lace Dress with nude heels to elongate your legs.

So, to help you make the best possible fashion statement, here are four tips to help you choose the right shoes for your outfit – and give you a great excuse to go shoe shopping!

1. Consider your outfit
The first step in choosing the right shoes is to determine which element of your outfit you want to make the biggest statement. If your dress is simple then go for a more vibrant, striking shoe. If, on the other hand, your dress is more eye catching or busy, go for a more understated shoe.

You want to achieve the right balance. You don’t want your outfit to be too chaotic, and you certainly don’t want your outfit to blend and make you look washed out. Choose one area and make it shine.

2. Consider the event or occasion
It doesn’t matter how beautiful they are, how comfortable they feel, how much of a bargain they were, or what brand is featured on their sole, if your shoes don’t suit the event or occasion, they are the wrong choice.

Obviously, sandals aren’t appropriate for work, glittery evening heels aren’t suited to a casual event, and ballet flats are rarely appropriate for a formal affair. While you want your shoes to make a statement, you want it to be the right statement. So be sure to adhere to any dress codes set, keeping in mind that many venues have strict rules around footwear.

3. Consider the location and weather
When choosing your shoes it is important to think about the location of the event, what you will be doing throughout the day or evening, and what the weather is like on the day.

For example, if you will be standing on the fields at the races or attending a beach wedding, then stiletto heels are not going to be the best choice. If it is raining, you may want to avoid suede and open shoes.

4. Consider the colour and pattern
Shoes can be a great way to experiment with vibrant colours and bold patterns that you wouldn’t normally wear higher up in your outfit.

Wedges such as these Jimmy Choos
are a great choice for a beach wedding
teamed with a brightly coloured dress
featuring hot pink in the design.
(Jimmy Choo shoes: http://shop.davidjones.com.au/)

If you’re not sure which colour to experiment with, one of the basic rules of footwear is that you can wear any colour featured within your outfit. Pick the colour you would most like to highlight and go with that.

After a more specific colour guide? We’ve got you covered:

• Black shoes are by far the most versatile, but unless black features in your outfit you want to avoid them when you are wearing pastels.

• Tan shoes are great for elongating your legs and go brilliantly with lighter earthy tones, pastels, blue, beige and white.

• White shoes are ideal for pastels, light neutrals and vibrant colours.

• As for brighter colours, Who What Where have devised a quick and easy guide to wearing every color of the shoe rainbow.

How do you decide what shoes to wear with your outfit?

Have the shoes but don’t have a dress yet? Check out our collection for inspiration.

Copyright © 2014 Stokes Thompson. All Rights Reserved. Contact Stokes Thompson or phone +61 7 3369 5119. This article may not be used without the prior written consent from the author. See below for more details…