Footwear's Favorite Season
This Thursday's Therapy Walk is emotional in a different way…it’s about shoes. The fall footwear round-up!
While I am devastated when summer ends, my feet are not. This summer, I snuck in loafers, ballet flats, and even boots on randomly cool(ish) days, but overall, summer is not the season for me to have fun with shoes. The fall is.
Unless it’s raining, there aren’t any shoe restrictions in the fall. The streets beg for your best shoes in velvet, pony hair (faux, please), suede, and patent leather. Boots are expected and encouraged. And it’s finally safe to wear heels without being afraid the sweat will make your foot slip (sorry, gross, but save the ankles).
Certain outfits click when the footwear is just right, and the fall season permits perfect pairings. Here are my favorite fall shoes, all of which allow for the most comprehensive styling. I'm also giving specific recommendations for each style because there is nothing worse than buying a new pair of random loafers that never break in.
Starting with The Basics
The Loafer
If I could have only one pair of shoes for the rest of my life (gasp), it would be a pair of leather loafers. The more classic, the better. I prefer a penny loafer with a decorative slotted leather strip over the shoe's upper part. Perhaps even place a coin there like a grab jar (you may need that extra one cent!). Please, let’s let the slide-on loafer lay to rest.
The Ballet Flat
Like loafers, I prefer no-frills ballet flats. Don’t go for a pointed toe; it will stump your leg. A square toe is too stylized. The point of a ballet flat is elegance, so the simpler the flat, the better. There are two types of ballet flats I like: the simple pair with the shorter upper (numbers 1, 2, and 3 below), good worn with slimmer pants or tights, and styles with an upper that goes further up the foot (numbers 3, 4, and 5 below. Number 6 is a sweet middle ground), more suitable for wide-leg bottoms. It would be best to have a black pair, my favorite being an $89 pair from Bloch, but brown, tan, and red are all very versatile, depending on your wardrobe. I love tan/nude for early fall and have wanted the Jamie Haller ones with the contrast bow for quite some time.
The Classic Tall Boot
These are classic, rounded-toe, black leather boots. They can have hints of “riding boot” elements, but you want them to look sleek and classic, not too stylized. I tell clients they should invest in a great boot because it will last many years of wear. The quality of the leather and sole will always be superior, and make sure you look at the composition. A leather sole (rather than synthetic) with rubber tread is your best bet for a good, long-lasting, durable boot. There shouldn’t be any stretch (elastic panel) on the shaft for this style it shouldn’t be tight to your calf.
And head here for my favorite footwear styles that will see you through fall rain days.
A Bit More Stylized
Driving Shoes
I love driving shoes, particularly in suede, because of the richness of the color (look at that purple!), though I did include some leather ones below. Driving shoes bring a sense of propriety (old, rich man esteem?) to an outfit. Like the penny loafer, I prefer when there is a leather strip over the upper so it is more in the proper loafer style. Occasionally a tie works, too if the upper flap doesn’t go too high up on the foot, to look less like a slipper. If you can find a good pair secondhand from the brand Car Shoe (retails around $900) or Tod’s (retails around $700), that’s hitting gold, but direct from a few brands, like M. Gemi, for less money than designer, is good, too.
Specific-But-Not-Trendy Boots
Stylized boots are boots that have a very specific sort of genre to them, like western boots, moto boots, or riding boots. I included many riding boots in last week’s Therapy Walk, a style I love because they can instantly ground, say, a taffeta midi skirt using the Contradistinction Technique, which is when you pair two unlikely items together to balance each other. I also love a western boot, styled with unlikely items such as, perhaps, a three-piece suit or sleek, satin pants. While these boots are stylized, they’re not too wild and don’t feel trendy because they are still classic.
Many of the below are on sale!
Ladylike Kitten Heels
I love a little kitten heel for fall. For one, they’re comfortable to walk in, but they still give you elevation that will make your stride more confident. The shoe style I keep coming back to is a ladylike kitten heel, by which I mean you could envision an elegant lady wearing these at a cafe on the Upper East Side. This shoe style instantly makes a pair of baggy jeans or even track pants posh. Track pants, a long khaki trench, and a pair of ladylike kitten heels. Can you see it!?
I have compiled some favorites, but I must highlight the Ferragamo bow heel (#1). Ferragamo still makes them, and they retail for $880, but you can get them secondhand for soooo much less. When shopping for vintage heels, 1) be open to getting them resoled, which shouldn’t cost more than $50, and 2) make sure to check that the seller has listed the width of the shoe because vintage shoes, such as the Ferragamo heels, come in several widths.
And a Smorgasbord of Fun!
Handle the unfortunate fact that the daylight is getting shorter by getting some new fall shoes!
xo
Eliz
Got the red tod’s and had a Poshmark balance of $45 so it’s like they were only $35!!!! Huge win