Let’s face it… the hardest part about putting together an outfit is usually the last thing we consider in our wardrobes… our footwear.

You could spend hours carefully selecting the perfect top to match your bottoms, and without the right footwear, the outfit simply won’t work. An outfit isn’t an outfit without considering your footwear.

There can be so much to consider when choosing your footwear, including the shape, style, and fabric of your bottoms, as well as your own personal body proportions.

Today we are shelling out some general advice on the best styles of footwear to choose based on your bottoms:

Pants

• The wider the pant leg (bootcut, flare or wide leg), the narrower the shoe should be
• To maintain balance on a skinny leg pant, go for a narrow style of footwear (sneaker, sandals, boots, ballet flat, loafers)
• Joggers with a slim profile look great with an exposed ankle. Try low top sneakers, sandals, ballet flats or loafers. Baggier joggers look best with boots or higher top sneakers, so the ankle isn’t exposed.
• Heavier and more structured pant fabrics (like wool) look best with dressier shoes with structure, like a pump.
• Lighter weight fabrics (like linen) can be paired with a lighter, more airy type of shoe such as a sandal.
• The silhouette of the shoe is important (i.e., a narrow sneaker versus a chunky athletic sneaker makes a big difference, even though both are sneakers)

Skirts

• The longer the skirt, the lower the shoe profile should be. We aren’t talking heel heigh here, but rather how high the shoe comes up on the ankle/leg.
• If you have shorter legs, choose a lower shoe profile to make your legs appear elongated (avoid tall boots and high-top sneakers).
• Don’t pair a shoe with an ankle strap with a midi length skirt, it can create some busy-ness in the look.
• For longer maxi skirts, stick with low profile shoes that aren’t too chunky to avoid looking bottom heavy.
• Pencil skirts are difficult to dress down, so avoid sneakers. They look great with pumps, shorter booties, and strappy heeled sandals.

Shorts

• Denim shorts (and jeans also) have a casual vibe, so go with casual shoes like sneakers and sandals.
• If you have longer legs, you can get away with pairing crew socks with your sneakers, if you have shorter legs try to stay away from socks with shorts.
• Tailored shorts are more versatile because you can dress them down with a strappy sandal, or crew socks with sneakers. To dress them up you can select a loafer or an open toed heel.

More tips:

• If your outfit has a pattern, pick out one color within the pattern and match it to the same color in your shoe.
• If your outfit is made up of one or two solid colors, you can either pick one of the colors, or pick a neutral color.
• When in doubt: go with a nude shoe close to your skin colour.

Most importantly: remember there are NO RULES in fashion and you don’t need to follow any of the guidelines in this blog. Choose what makes you feel comfortable and fabulous.

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