Shoes of Summer

A dissection of styling the shoes of summer and my thoughts on why we're (me) so in love with styling contradictory pieces together.

Jul 02, 2024

As requested by a lovely reader, I have decided to do a post on the shoes I’m wearing and loving this summer. It seems to be the summer of the flat shoe! If we are elevating ourselves I think the kitten heel has been the chicest option (IMO), dainty, lady-like, but doesn’t look out of place with jeans. Going back to the flat though, I have had this new found love of them since my surgery, but also in how they make an outfit look a little more effortless and cool in so many situations. A flat shoe, I have found, helps an outfit not take itself so seriously. The look of fisherman sandals with long skirt and tank, or little mary janes with sun-dyed jeans and a white blouse- these are “effortless” outfit recipes I go by and its the shoes that help them feel easy… but always styled.

My most worn shoes this spring/summer. (From left to right) Swedish Has been Clogs, Ann Mashburn Studded Fisherman Sandals, Thirfted Jelly sandals, Claudia Antinori Mary Janes, Ann Mashburn Lug Sole Loafers, Clarks Wallabees (maple suede), SENSO Raffia Kitten Heels, Ann Mashburn Diagonal Strap Sandals

The more of started in on thinking about shoes and which ones I’m wearing, the more I’ve realized the weight they carry in an outfit. Sometimes shoes can fall by the wayside when picking out an everyday outfit, but it is your shoe choice that can lift your outfit up out of its comfort zone and in to something a little newer and little more interesting. Like right now, I am LOVINGGGG putting my raffia mary janes with everything because the texture and color and silhouette make even my jeans and tank top look a little cooler and put together. They’re also a nice solution with long sundresses. If I’m not doing my mary annes with said sundresses, I find that the studded fisherman sandals or jelly sandals really pack an extra “textural punch” and create a nice juxtaposition with the airiness and sweetness of the sundress.

When I think about it a little more, I also think that my shoe choice helps to show a broader spectrum of my personality in an outfit. My level of whimsy vs. simplicity for the day can be measured by my shoe choice .

Getting more now to the fashion side of this all, I do think we are living in a time of styling that leans in to contradiction- sandals w/ sequin dress, kitten heels with bleached out jeans, etc. It is for one, attention grabbing, but I also think it feels a little more honest. I am not a matching suit with pumps, but I am a matching suit with a mary jane shoe or fisherman sandal and I think that feels more real for a lot of us. We are not “head to toe” and one dimensional, we are many things and they are often contradictory. So when we can style our outward appearance to match that, it just feels more honest… in my opinion! There are some great examples of this in the fashion zeitgeist from The Row and Prada and Miu Miu and Tory Burch!

Miu Miu:

a la sequins and sandals

A little fun with texture- the rope sandals and the indigo denim

PRADA:

Delicate crochet set w/ the covered mule shoe

I love love that they did the boat shoe with the gauzy skirt- utility meets whimsy

Could’ve done a slim strappy sandal with the delicateness of the dress for a more obvious choice, but I love that the loafer makes it more grounded and a little more wearable! Oh what styling can do.

The sheerness of the skirt with the velvet Birkenstock-esque sandal is such fantastic contrast of textures. Heavy and light

THE ROW:

The silky pants and slides give such an “ease” when combined, it makes silk trousers not look too dressy!

Pencil skirt + Jelly flat, I would’ve never predicted how much I love this combo. A perfect example of how we can contain multitudes and show that in styling (I like a pencil skirt BUT I also like jelly sandals)