Must-Have Shoe Styles for Every Wardrobe

After acting as the “Hostess with the Mostest” on the red carpet at a recent fashion event, Holly’s feet – while gorgeous in her designer shoes – ended up killing her from standing up all night in the wrong shoes.  

 

THIS IS A FASHION CRIME:  

Wearing shoes that are too high, no matter how beautiful they are - or how perfectly they accentuate your outfit - hamburger meat for feet is no bueno. (Can the marketing people please trademark that?) 

 

Recovering from her foot pain, in this episode, your favorite personal stylist Holly Katz outlines the shoes you need to have in your wardrobe.  

 

This is important is because people sometimes are not sure what the current trends are or how much money they should be spending on shoes.  Or, how to branch out of their comfort zone when it comes to trying on something different or new.  

 

People often tend to be very price-driven when it comes to shoes, and obviously that makes sense. They have a set amount in their mind, which can be a little bit limiting if you're looking around for something interesting and new.  

 

With that being said, these are the must-have styles for shoes. 

(As always, please be sure to check Holly’s Pinterest Board for all of these shoe recommendations and more!) 

 

FLATS 

• Designer Slides 

• Ballet 

• Mules 

• Loafers 

• Mary Janes 

• Oxfords 

• Flat Slingbacks 

 

HOW TO STYLE FLATS: 

You can wear flats with just about *anything, but please, please wear no-show socks of some sort! Wear your flats with a mini dress, cropped flair pants, or anytime you are busy working on your feet all day with your favorite slacks or dressy shorts.  

 

*Pro Tip:  

If you are grown up woman going to a formal event, you must wear heels. No flats allowed (unless you’ve just had old-lady bunion surgery – ouch!).  

 

BRANDS WE LOVE: 

Birdies, Valentino Rock Studs, Hermès, Jeffrey Campbell, Sam Edelman, Sarah Flint, Ally Shoes and Cecelia NYC shoes.  

 

HEELS: 

• Wedge heels 

• Block heels 

• Platform heels 

 

HOW TO STYLE HEELS: 

Wear new heels around the house to break them in, start with lower heels if you have not worn high heels in a while, and try a block heel or wedge heel for comfort.  

 

High heels look best with dresses and skirts of all lengths, of course, but also try them with leather pants, dressy shorts or jeans. 

 

Pro Tip: 

Platform heels can give the illusion of a high heel without the pain of a stiletto! 

 

BRANDS WE LOVE: 

Gianvito Rossi, Roger Vivier, Steve Madden, Guiseppe Zanotti

 

 

BOOTS: 

• Tall boots 

• Booties 

• Cowboy boots 

• Winter boots 

• Not Rainboots 

 

HOW TO STYLE BOOTS: 

Holly LOVES a good boot! Boots will make your legs look longer and leaner. She wears them with dresses, maxi skirts, pants, really, everything.  

 

Look for short booties that come just to the ankle bone. You can also try combat-STYLE boots, with just a touch of the combat sass. As well as real cowboy boots, or cowboy-style boots, as they are always, always in style. 

 

You do not really want to wear suede or heavy boots in the summer – if you run hot, you know what we mean.  

 

*Pro Tip: 

Don’t even think of wearing tall galoshes or rain boots unless you live in Seattle and are walking in the rain. PUDDLES of rain. Stomping around a grocery store in Atlanta in your tall rain boots; just know they are for function, or walking around in a torrential rain storm in NYC. Not when you're going to your garage and it's a threat of rain.

 

BRANDS WE LOVE: 

Paris Texas, Prada, Roger Vivier, Boot Barn, Gianvito Rossi, Isabel Marant,  

 

 

SANDALS: 

You can wear flat sandals, wedge sandals, low-heel sandals and high-heel sandals.   

You are NOT allowed to wear Tevas, Chacos, Crocs, sports slides or *flip flops. NON-NEGOSH. Also, no socks with sandals. #DUH. Don't let her find out.

 

The only pass you will get from Holly are Birkenstocks, because they are always evolving and somehow manage to stay on-trend. This is the only shoe in the “hippy footwear” family allowed. 

 

*Pro Tip:  

Rubber flip flops are for the beach. Period. Leather flip flops, embellished flip flops, etc., are  acceptable.  

 

FitFlops are not allowed. Never. Ever. They are not cute, and they don’t make you fit. Stop falling for the false advertising. 

 

BRANDS WE LOVE: Tory Burch, Valentino, Gucci, Alexandre Birman, Jimmy Choo , Guiseppe Zanotti

 

 

FASHION SNEAKERS: 

If you are a friend of the podcast, you know the rules already: NO workout sneakers unless you are working out. END OF STORY. 

 

Fashion sneakers are fun, on-trend, comfortable and don’t smell like a gym locker room. See the difference? Go back and listen to Episode 128 to get the full lecture once and for all. Then, you can ENJOY the sneaker trend!!  

 

BRANDS WE LOVE: 

Superga, Nike, Golden Goose, New Balance, Converse, Adidas, Michael Kors 

 

 

FINAL THOUGHTS: 1.) Please wear socks with your shoes when you can. No-shows are best, but Tube socks are also back (yikes)- so don't be shocked when your teenagers are rocking those.

 

2.) How many shoes are too many? You can never have too many.  

Just kidding! If you have over 100 pair, that is probably too much. You should have as many as you can realistically wear. For real. A cohesive shoe wardrobe is anywhere between 25-45 pair. 

 

3.) Keep your shoes updated and looking nice. Go find your neighborhood shoe repair person. Old, worn-out shoes, no matter what the brand or price point, look like old, worn-out shitty shoes.  

 

4.) If your feet hurt, or you have a hard time finding shoes to fit your feet or if you have major feet issues, find a company who caters to customers that are hard to fit like our friends at  Ally Shoes or Pedro Garcia. 

 

5.) Store your shoes properly and where you can always see them: Not in the original box, not under your long dresses in your closet, not in plastic boxes. Find a way to display them in your closet area so you will be tempted to rotate the shoes and styles you have invested in. 

 

Carry on! Life is too short! Eat the cake! Buy the shoes! Listen to our podcast! 

 

Xoxo- Holly Katz 

 

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