Notes on Styling | 27 | But what shoes would I wear with that? Pt 1

Apologies my lovelies, the previous post I sent out was not linked to my styling boards correctly - this is the fully loaded version! Enjoy. Jx

..Probably the most asked question for every personal stylist. Everywhere. Ever.

And you are right. Shoes are tricky. They can single-handedly change the direction of an outfit and how it feels. You have to know your style, to know your shoes. Otherwise buying for each can be 2 separate things that don’t feel in flow.

Boden Sparkly’s modelled this weekend by a friend of mine who finds Boden good for bigger sizes and wider fit. These are a size 8.

Team a smart outfit with a trainer and it instantly feels more preppy, relaxed, laisez faire. Team the same look with a point heel and it’s elegant and more refined. Shoes give you the feeling of being on solid styling ground with whatever type of look you like, literally.

This week’s post will be broken into two separate posts. The second will come later this week. First today, I’ve styled 4 different looks around one pair of sparkly trousers from Mango below (tis nearly the season after all!) to show you how having the right shoe and boot options for your wardrobe in a season, makes dressing so much easier when those options really feel true to the clothes you love to wear.

Secondly today, I’ve laid out different footwear categories with brands under each that I’ve enjoyed styling from over the last 12 months (and so I do rate!) along with my thoughts on getting into the right thinking space to buy more of what will get rid of the eternal question ‘what shoes will I wear with that’.

Coming later this week, I have picked the top 8 or so brands (from the categories below) that I default too for clients the most and will pick and share my edit from each.

The sparkly trousers I’m styling for today’s looks are from Mango but the styling lesson here is not in the item but in focusing on the end result you want to create and having the right shoes, accessories and items to help you do that. This is true personal styling. Accessories for me play the same role as shoes (though not as crucial as you don’t have to wear them!).

Click on the look to be brought to my styling boards where all the items are linked.

Look 1

I see this look above as chic but still with a feeling of effortlessness, cool. The person who would suit this look loves fun things and colour but still wants their outfits to feel wearable, easy, comfy. The boots are fun but still have a wearable heel. The cardi makes these trousers feel more relaxed but still shows you have a confidence about what you love to wear. The knee-high boots here are from M&S and the ankle boots are from Ted Baker.

Look 2

This for me is someone who loves to take something different like the trousers and make them something they enjoy everyday through their styling. The statement accessories are all from Essential Antwerp - such a cool brand! The jumper and coat are both oversized and so will make the trousers look and feel relaxed unexpected. I would use the words chic, creative and preppy to describe this look.

Look 3

This is why I love styling so much. Same trousers and a totally different vibe! We have a heel and a flat both of which will give the same end feeling - soft, feminine and elegant. Therefore, once you buy with intention and focus on your style words you can have options that can dress up or down an outfit while still feeling in tune with the look you love. This is what styling is all about. Taking an item you own and love and making it your own. The ballet flats are from Mint Velvet and the heels from Monsoon.

Look 4

This for me is just taking things up a notch. I see this look for someone who likes a more fitted silhouette, a little something that adds texture or interest to a look without taking it out of the realm of soft and pretty. The shoes here are from Mint Velvet and the bag Monsoon.

My Little Black Book for Shoes & Boots right now:

For Interesting, Girlie, Colourful, I think of:

Sezane, Boden, Penelope Chilvers, Camilla Elphick, Martiniano Shoes, Moi London, Rouge, Cayumas, Malababa (I’m a big fan of niche Spanish brands that ship), Monsoon, Oliver Bonas, Stine Goya, Boden, Repetto, Kurt Geiger, Ted Baker.

For my Favourite all-round Online Brands, I think of:

Bobbies, Le Monde Beryl, Alohas, Jonak, Mint Velvet, Essen the Label, Charles & Keith, Madewell, Rouge, Vegabond, Reformation, Hush, Flattered, Mango, Boden, Zara, Kurt Geiger, Russell & Bromley J Crew, Hush, Carvela.

For the best of the high street, I think of:

Marks & Spencers, Mint Velvet, Massimo Dutti, COS, Hobbs (improved their price and offering recently), Jigsaw, & Other Stories, Dune, Mango, Zara, Topshop, Kurt Geiger, Russell & Bromley, LK Bennett.

For Higher End but very Beautiful, I think of:

Gianvito Rossi, Toteme, By Far, Mansur Gavriel, Pedro Garcia, Dear Frances, Emme Parsons, Malone Souliers, Reformation, ATP Atelier, BA&SH, Carel Paris, Repetto, Wandler, Aeyde, Manu Atelier, Flattered.

For trainers, I think of:

Parfois, Jigsaw, Everlane, Toast, Saye Brand, The Outnet (for lots of lovely brands like Jill Saunder & Zimmerman discounted), Anthropologie (for selection of brands), Gola, Oliver Bonas (for selection), Hoff Trainers, Reiss, Adidas, New Balance, ASOS (for selection), Zespa, Kurt Geiger, Veja, Axel Arigato, Steve Madden, Sole Bliss, Carvela.

For edgy, boyish, chunky, I think of:

Zadig & Voltaire, Miista, Grenson, GH Bass, Sessun, Claudie Pierlot, All Saints, Topshop, Asos Design, Kurt Geiger, Steve Madden,

For understated comfort and practicality, I think of:

Beaumont Organic, Madewell, Everlane, Billibi Bi, GH Bass, Vegabond, White Stuff, Sessun, Toast, Gant, Clarks, The White Company, Rosae Paris, Repetto, Russell & Bromley, Birkenstock, Madewell, Carvela.

For a modern, high-end look that’s not too expensive I think of:

Arket, Flattered, Act, Massimo Dutti, Mantra Official, Rouge, Reformation, COS, Rosae Paris, Repetto, By Far, LK Bennett, Everlane, Mango, Zara, Carvela.

For chunky, interesting, something different, I think of:

Ganni, Isabel Marant, Beklina, Free People, Sessun, Flattered, Boden, Topshop, Asos Design, Carel Paris, Sam Edelman, Kurt Geiger, Steve Madden, J Crew, Dr Martens, Carvela.

2 niche brands I’ve come across recently:

Ops & Ops, Moi London.

2 niche American brands worth shipping:

Jamie Haller Loafers, Freda Salvador (esp their ballet flats),

Best for a sustainable offering, I think of:

Alohas, Either or, Everlane, Saye Brand, Madewell, Rothy’s, Matt & Natt.

Best for a wide Fit, I think of:

Duo Boots, Marks & Spencers, Winnoh, Boden, Sole Bliss, Sargasso & Grey, Calla Shoes, Sante & Wade.

Thoughts.

Think of the clothes you want to wear first. Try not to separate out the two for practical reasons. I hear a lot, I only buy flats or I can only wear a tiny heel so I only buy ‘x’. The thing - is the high street has come a long way. You can do both of those things and still buy in tune with your style. You can have an unexpected silver heel like in look 1 above and still have a tiny heel. Great options will come from doing the research into the brands that work for your wardrobe and preferences.

Less is more. For me it is much better to have a smaller thoughtful selection of options that feels aligned with what you like to wear. You will know you are doing well when you can pull out a range of different outfits from your wardrobe and feel you have both a dressy and casual option available to you that helps finish the look in a way that feels really good to you.

I only have one working leg right now but I’m still playing! Got these Arket loafers a while back and I’m already excited about styling for both winter (with socks!) and Spring. I like to stick to simple, effortless and a little elevated. I don’t own a lot of shoes but what I do own, all work across the things I like to wear. Heels are from Zara (similar here but cooler in silver!); Boots are very old Zara (similar feel with these) and flat boots are Carvela from last year (these are very similar).

Tuning into your style words. We’ve all heard famous stylist Allison Bornstein talk about the 3 words and you have heard me mention them here (and I will be writing about them soon). They form a core part of your style armoury. You will find that the shoes that lean into your style words will move across your wardrobe more easily.

Little details matter. A black ankle boot is a pretty flexible option to have for winter but for me picking is all about the detail. For a more girlie feeling i would go pointy whereas for a more modern, understated feel I would style with an almond or round toe. I have both and it’s interesting to see how I gravitate to the more modern, softly round toe for 9 out of 10 outfits. It just feels more true to my style. But sometimes it takes this trying to see.

Shoes can help you to express the smaller elements of your style. I used to love buckles and colourful boots too and although I do have a pair of silver heels and one or two wild cards I know myself enough to know I don’t need a lot of these but shoe can help you to express a style word that maybe you want to play with but don’t want to have too much of it in your clothes, for example, unexpected, creative or edgy.

Embrace those ankles. It can be useful to have a little shift in mindset around length of trousers. I was with a friend this weekend who has a beautiful two-piece suit she is not getting enough wear from. The trousers are super high-waisted and full length and a beautiful mustard colour. She bought the Boden heels in the very top photo in gold to team with the suit. But something wasn’t feeling right. We played with the trouser length and by shortening 2 inches so they sit around her ankle, rather than bunching on top of the shoes, it made a difference to how the overall look felt to her. It was more interesting to have that clean straight trouser line hitting the ankle, and felt more proportionally better to have the shoes as a focal point. No matter what your height it’s right to play with lengths to see what feels good and it’s always good to show off those shoes!

Experiment. Shoes can become the item in our wardrobe that has become the most ‘stuck’ for us. We build up thoughts like ‘I could never wear a shoe like that’ and it holds us back. Remember, that if you want to try a loafer do it! There are so many versions of what a loafer can be from more delicate and pretty to chunky and androgonous. It’s about choosing what works for you from brands that align with your style.

Things evolve. What do you want your shoes to feel like right now, in 2023! Just because a certain style worked 5 years ago, it’s worth asking yourself what feels good now. Things change. You’ve changed. And that’s ok.

Let go of what’s not you and start fresh. If they are not getting worn, they should go. Don’t fit? Need reheeling and you’re never going to do it? Worn out but had a good life? Be ruthless. Just looking at them day after day is haunting you! When trying to evolve your style or make any style changes, it is better to wear and re-wear a couple of pairs you love that help you lean into a certain look and build from here.

Key Takeaway. Having shoes and boots you love takes awareness of the style you love first and foremost. Start with that picture in your minds eye of the look you want to create more of. Don’t buy for the outfits you only half like that you have no shoes for. Building a style is about holding that picture long and steady enough in your mind so that you choose items for the house you are building, not the one you are ready to leave!

Warmly,

Julie x