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.

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!

@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.

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.

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.

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 :)

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!

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!

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.