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Choose the Right Shoes for Any Outfit

Choose the Right Shoes for Any Outfit

*all images are linked to the online shop - shop away! 

I might be speaking for everyone here, but - oh, how I love shoes! They are a great way to inject some personality into any outfit. As my grandma would say, “Want to know who a person is, take a look at their shoes.” There are so many different styles, types, colors, it’s hard to decide what would work best for each outfit. That is why I am here - to help you comb through all the fluff to get you what you really want to wear. 

Let’s begin! 

The Vamp 

What the hell is that? And why should I care? Let me tell you! The vamp is where the shoe ends at the top or front of the foot.  


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Low vamp shoes end or run across the top of your foot near the toes. Example: ballet flats. 


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High vamp shoes come further up your foot and sometimes even up to the ankles. This includes straps and embellishments. 

A couple pro-tips:

  • Low vamp shoes are great for elongating those legs, helping you appear taller. 
  • High vamp shoes do the opposite; they work well with full-length pants, mini skirts & dresses. 

Visual Volume

Simply, the visual volume of a shoe means what the eye is drawn to. There are several ways to add or reduce visual volume.

We already covered vamp, next we move onto: details. The more detailed the shoe, the more attention it will take.  

Another element to visual volume is the sole. The thickness of the sole will create more or less volume, contributing to the overall balance of the outfit. 

Lastly, we tackle color & pattern. A lighter or patterned style will naturally have more visual volume. 

Some pro-tips:

  • Your own proportions will play a factor here. We went into detail all about this topic in a previous blog, you can read it here
  • Like always, rules are meant to be broken! If you like how something looks, but it’s against the "guidelines", rock it anyway. 

Match your shoes to your outfit (but in a modern way)

When creating an outfit, I consciously make sure not to be too matchy-matchy. A good trick to avoid this is to pull from the subtle colors going on in your outfit. For example, you are wearing a red dress with a belt that has a gold buckle. Instead of pairing it with a red or nude shoe, opt for some gold kicks instead. Boom! Outfit elevated. 

Other styling tips to try:

  • Match your bag with your shoes. 
  • Go for a monochromatic look
  • Choose one item to be the “star” and mute the rest     

Think about the occasion 

When outfit planning, think about what the day may throw at you. We are all about functionality & comfort here. 

And lastly…

It’s all about balance, baby! 

The key behind any good outfit is to make sure it looks balanced colorwise, textually, and proportionally.  


Did I miss anything? Drop it in the comment below!


Till next time, 

Dre

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