Violet Revolution

In all my writing recently about fashion designers, boutiques, and the endless trends this spring; I totally forgot to talk about shoes.  How this could be?  I don’t know, as I LOVE shoes, possibly more than clothes.  I think it’s because I generally don’t like feet, so shoes either hide them or make them look much prettier.  Let’s take a look at the hottest shoes to wear this season…

Neutrals — With all the buzz about neutrals this season, you’d be foolish not to purchase some neutral shoes this season.  In an earlier Q&A post, I helped someone select some neutral shoes for work.  This open-toe caged bootie would also be appropriate for work (didn’t see them at the time) or even with a cute dress for a night out.  These caged slingback sandals with the metal buckle fastenersare supercute too.  There’s something about the simplicity of these cork flat thong sandalsthat’s eye-catching.  These just seem like a no-brainer when you’re looking to put together an effortless outfit.  The only thing I’d caution is if you have extremely fair skin, you might want to stick with a darker vs. a lighter, creamier neutral tone; otherwise, the shoes are almost unnoticeable as they blend too much with your skin.

Wedges — Love these zebra print wedges.  These leopard print wedges are adorable as well.  I’m normally not a leopard person, but I really love the leopard on the wedge portion of the shoe.  These wedges have a leopard-inspired sole too, but it’s actually textured cork.  These crochet-fabric wedges are also amazing, plus to keep with my animal print theme (I didn’t see that coming, I swear), the front part of the shoe has a snakeskin embossed pattern.  My personal favorite though are these sequined denim pattern wedges (See?  It’s not all animal print). 

Clogs/Wooden Heels — I love the heel on these clog-inspired sandals — they’re not quite a clog, but have that stretched canvas thumbtack look.  These wooden heeled denim sandals are pretty versatile — if you can pair jeans with anything, why not denim sandals?  I technically could have put these under the neutral category, but really loved the geometric cut-out wooden heel on these glossy neutral sandals.

Mini-Wedges — I am totally taken with these mini-wedges lately.  Probably because I’m trying to find a comfortable, cute shoe to walk around and shop in.  Most of  my pants’ lengths are for heels, so wearing flats either entails the pairs I have dragging on the floor or me buying more pants.  I love these zig-zag mustard and black striped pair by Loeffler Randall…so cute!!!  There’s something about the simplicity of these multi-buckle strap sandals that I’m drawn to; but  I’m also loving these these peep toe cut-out design sandals, especially how the cut-outs are even on the ankle straps. 

Hybrid sandals — Part bootie, part sandal, these are a kinda cool transition shoe from spring to summer.  You want to wear a sandal, but with our crap weather, sometimes it’s a little too cold and your footies are freezing.  Now you can have your cake and eat it too.  Love the studs on the ankle cuff of this pair — very edgy.  these electric blue suede sandals are amazing.  These would be so cute with a casual spring dress, or spring shorts (not that the color scheme would match, but check out this look here).  Even though these leopard cuffs have a little shimmer to them, neither the print or sequins are overwhelming, unlike some other embellished shoes I’ve seen this season.  They also come in black.   

Jeweled/Mirrored — This trend has exploded big time.  I feel like it’s difficult to find a sandal without embellishments this season, and they keep getting bigger, bolder, and shinier.  Sometimes it’s too much.  I tried on a pair recently and they were too blingy for me, but it depends on the shoe, as I’m still drawn to these mirror sandals even though they may be too much for some.  I think there’s the right about of stones on the next 2 sandals — not too many rhinestones on the aquamarine and onyx gemstone pair, and only a few ultra-large stones on the strapy ankle pair by Sam Edelman.

Do you have a favorite shoe thus far this season?  Which spring footwear trends do you love/hate?