5 July 2009 – Last Spin , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed:

• Fuschia scarf – J.Crew
• Purple tank - Banana Republic
• Cuffed skinnies – Abercrombie, thrifted
• Orange gladiators – American Eagle
• “Pride” necklace – garage sale find

Endnotes:

Since I spent a significant portion of my day in the car today, I needed an outfit that was no-fuss and accommodating to my schedule. Flat shoes for ease and comfort while loading and unloading my car and light layers to combat the heat were a must. So I drew my inspiration from the cute outfits A. and her sister L. sported just last week and put together this purple tank with my cuffed skinnies. I added a hair scarf for both the fun detail it provides and the function it serves in keeping my hair out of my face and off my neck in this brutal heat.

These flat gladiator sandals have become a staple in my summer wardrobe and I’m surprised how often I wear them given that they are a bright punchy orange. But if you follow this blog, you know that neither of us three shies away from a bright and colorful shoe! I used to think that all I needed was a black and a brown shoe for each season and I’d have my bases covered. But why stick to brown and black when there are so many more fun options out there?

We recently received a reader email asking us how we know when to pair a colorful shoe with our outfits and whether there is a good rule of thumb for how to combine colored footwear with colors in the garments. Before we try to develop a methodology of our own on this subject, I’d like to pose these questions to you: Do you play it safe with you shoes or are you also a fan of the colorful and patterned variety? If so, what’s your ‘rule of thumb’ when incorporating a colorful shoe into your outfit? And when do you make colorful footwear work and when do you decidedly steer away from it? S.

13 Responses to “5 July 2009 – One Last Spin”

1. Anna
   July 6th, 2009 @ 3:29 am

   Most of my favorite shoes are non-neutrals, and I feel that they enhance every outfit. I buy shoes in colors I love to make sure I wear them lots, so bright shoes seem to limit my wardrobe choices less than neutrals. In fact, I wear most of my bright shoes as though they were neutrals.

2. Sal
   July 6th, 2009 @ 5:24 am

   You look positively gleeful riding around!

   I’m a recent convert to bright shoes, but I also find that they are becoming my favorites. I think that neutral shoes are best if you’re going for a conservative or authentically vintage look (pre-60s, anyway). Otherwise, I saw bright shoes are always fair game and are a great way to spice up any outfit.

3. Trisha
   July 6th, 2009 @ 6:21 am

   Bright shoes are great for adding punch to an outfit, I agree! You look so pretty and carefree in these photos; glad to see Nerp getting some time in the sun. :)

4. Lucy
   July 6th, 2009 @ 8:09 am

   This is a very interesting question, S. I was also taught growing up that a pair of brown shoes and one of black shoes will cover you (it’s the traditional Romanian education, I guess :) Except for summer: there, all rules were off, and I remember generations of colorful footwear, including a pair of much-loved and worn-to-death red gladiator sandals when I was about 14 or 15. I wish I still had those, they would be right back in style!

   Today, I see my shoes as integral to my wardrobe, so their color is dictated by how well they complement my clothes (i.e. I only buy a pair of shoes if I know I will be wearing it with at least x number of clothes). For this reason, I tend to think less about the actual color of the shoes than about the color combinations that will happen. I guess this is another way of saying that I think of shoes as I do of a piece of clothing rather than an accessory: orange shoes, for instance, have to have as many uses as an orange shirt, red shoes as a red dress, black shoes as black pants, etc.

5. Anna
   July 6th, 2009 @ 12:21 pm

   I love colored shoes, I don’t think there is a rule of thumb however. I think it depends on your wardrobe and how the shoes fit with your clothes. Personally, I wear a lot of greens, purples, and blues, and own shoes in these colors that I know coordinate with most of my clothes. I also own a couple pairs of shoes that are technically neutral (nude heels, bronze flats) that are actually more difficult to fit into my wardrobe than my green and purple heels!

   I do think colored shoes are foreign to a lot of people though. I remember once dressing for a date in jeans, black lace top, and pink flats and my roommate telling me my shoes didn’t match my outfit!

6. spacegeek
   July 6th, 2009 @ 1:54 pm

   I’ve always loved colored shoes, but only recently (last couple years) have been wearing them again. I remember red sneakers in high school, and a pair of electric blue gladiators too!

   love wearing warm-color shoes with cool colored clothing and vice versa… But it depends on my mood. I hate matchi-matchi (sp??) so I’ll never wear my pink shoes with a pink top if the colors are too close to the same. Similar family–fine, but not exact.

   Sometimes, though, I just want the shoes/pants to blend to create a longer line rather than popping. And if I’ve got a really snazzy handbag, I’ll limit my colored shoes or other accessories so that I’m not a kaleidoscope!

7. Dottie
   July 6th, 2009 @ 5:02 pm

   Gorgeous! I love the head scarf!

   I have a pair of bright red velvet shoes (my ruby slippers) and blue velvet peep shoes that I love to wear. Colored shoes are fun, but mostly I stick with neutrals out of lack of creativity :)

8. Helen
   July 7th, 2009 @ 4:30 am

   I basically agree that you need a brown pair and a black pair per season in order to be covered. Because I only wear black under certain circumstances, though, I have a beige pair and a brown pair per season, or in the warmer months one of these pairs might be in a shade of white.

   Having neutral colours in the “minimal set” of shoes makes it easier to coordinate the shoes with the bag and the hat, which is important for making sure that the outfit colour scheme doesn’t go into state explosion.

   Once I’m covered, though, I add a third pair in the colour of my choice. What colour depends on what’s available and catches my eye at the time. For summer, my third pair is in a dirty pink, which fits neatly in with my white bag and my cream fedora with the pink burgundy band.

   For spring, I have a light green pair which is the most difficult match of all; I’ve got a light green hat but they look OTT together and I don’t have a green bag (not for work anyway), so coordination is a bit trickier.

   For winter, I have some burgundy boots, and they go fine with my burgundy hat. For fall, I have some dark blue ones that fit neatly with a blue velvet hat. The problem with cooler weather is that you have to remember to buy tights to match the shoe, which is easiest online. None of my work bags really have any of these colours in… so I suppose the eternal quest will resume in the fall.

9. Clare
   July 7th, 2009 @ 4:41 am

   When I had long hair, my headscarves were integral parts of my wardrobe…haven’t quite figured them out for short hair yet.

   I love colorful and fun shoes, but for some reason mine have always withstood fewer years than my classic blacks and browns. I guess I just get overwhelmed by the color after so many wears and have to move on.

10. admin
    July 7th, 2009 @ 5:30 am

    Thanks so much for your great input on colorful footwear and how you make them (or don’t) work for you! This is great food for thought for our eventual post on it!

    @Helen – you make a really interesting point – that of matching you shoes to your accessories (like hat, purse, etc). This is another one of those “rules” I was taught growing up but I’ve really shied away from recently (as yesterday’s yellow bag + red shoe clearly demonstrated). This is another topic I’d love to explore more, thanks for bringing that up!

    S.

11. meredith
    July 7th, 2009 @ 11:35 am

    my first foray into “colored footwear” was a pair of red ballet flats that have since seen better days. i love how they spice up a gray trousers/ eggplant sweater combination or just a simple black top and jeans. i also have a pair of mustard wedges that go wonderfully with brown-based outfits. and then there are my pink/green/blue plaid wedges. . . those look great with a pair of jeans and a plain white top. throw on a pink or green or blue scarf and i’m good to go!

    colored shoes are a great way to add some “whimsy” to an otherwise neutral wardrobe and you don’t have to spend a lot to get the desired effect. they convey an instant aura of “chic” for the wearer. they break all the “rules” that have been taught since, well, maybe the dawn of time, but who cares? rules schmooles. if you want to wear red shoes and a yellow bag (i see this combination working with a blue and white dress. yummy!), or orange shoes with a purple top, go for it. rules are meant to be broken. or at least bent, anyway.

    hooray for colorful footwear!

12. Em
    July 7th, 2009 @ 1:07 pm

    I can’t tell you how cute this outfit is on you. I know I’ve never looked so put together riding a bicycle! :) Gives me some inspiration and food for thought though.

13. Helen
    July 8th, 2009 @ 8:57 am

    “@Helen – [matching accessories is] another one of those “rules” I was taught growing up but I’ve really shied away from recently (as yesterday’s yellow bag + red shoe clearly demonstrated).]

    Oh, I’m not recommending it because it’s a rule – I just got into it because I wear a hat daily, and I found that third accessory was the thing that could make for an incoherent look if I wasn’t careful. I also haven’t found that all three items have to match so much that they need to have something in common. Or if two of them co-ordinate, that can be enough, depending on the rest of the outfit.

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