I have nothing to wear!

June 25, 2012 5:32 PM

Choose my shoes, episode 9. I am going to a daytime wedding next month and have the dress... now what shoes do I get? Read on...

This is my dress. It is dark IRL so here it is again.

I'm mid-20s and would like to wear something stylish, but something I could wear again. My first thought was some kind of flat shoe like the model is wearing, but that might not be fancy enough. It is a wedding after all. I also would love a yellow shoe to contrast the blue of the dress (maybe something like these?), but that might be too much, so would a neutral be better? I looked around a DSW today and really didn't see anything that I thought would work well. I've never bought shoes online because I have a terrible time with fit (my feet are too wide for mediums to be super comfortable, but not wide enough for a wide). I like heels, but I want to be able to wear these shoes again. My feet also tend to slip in heels, and I really don't want to be limping during the reception. I also can't afford to spend lots of money on shoes -- I typically only buy heels when they're on mega sale! I live in Philadelphia, if anyone has good suggestions for local cheap (but good quality) places!

Fashionistas, go!

posted by DoubleLune to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (13 answers total)

I would not wear a flat sandal myself to a wedding (unless it's a beach wedding). I think yellow would be adorable! I actually think bright shoes are more practical than you think -- you can get away with a lot of crazy on the bottom of your look because your shoes are not in people's faces all the time. And yellow shoes would be really cute with jeans, for example. (I would also considering a metallic, if you don't want to go yellow, but yellow is fun.) I'd just make sure the design of the yellow shoes is pretty basic, because the dress itself is very busy (I think the ones you linked to might be too much, not because of the color, but because the rosette etc might fight with the pattern on the dress?).

Can't help you with the Philadelphia advice, but Zappos has free shipping, free returns, and almost always "upgrade" you to free next-day shipping, so you can always order a TON from them and send back the ones that don't fit.
posted by Countess Sandwich at 5:41 PM on June 25, 2012 [1 favorite]

You can't go wrong with a nude shoe (no matter what color "nude" is for you). It's a short dress and a nude heel is going to make your legs look longer and leaner. I'd stay away from an ankle strap since it tends to cut off the flowing line and counteract the illusion, but that's just me. You'll wear it with a ton of different things so maybe you can splurge for something a little more comfortable. (Nothing more uncomfortable than cheapo heels IMO.)
posted by Thin Lizzy at 5:49 PM on June 25, 2012 [2 favorites]

I just bought these and absolutely love them. They'd go great with your dress! They fit my wideish feet. Hope they're not too expensive.
posted by Stewriffic at 5:51 PM on June 25, 2012

There are lots and lots of colors in that dress. I think a yellow would be nice, and if you have other things in your closet that would go with yellow shoes, then go for it! It would not be too much - weddings are supposed to be celebratory. But you could also go for a blue, a navy, and it looks like there's a lime and a darker green in there, too? And you could go with a metallic, but because the dress is very busy, I think maybe you should keep the same metallic in both shoes and jewelry. (This wouldn't have to match, like it could be dark silver shoes with bright silver bracelet or whatever, or warm gold and copper earrings with brassy shoes, but keep cool with cool and warm with warm.)

I agree with Thin Lizzy, there's nothing more terrible than a cheap heel. Don't waste your money if you can't afford comfortable ones, and compromise and get something you know has lots of wearability if you can splurge a bit. A nude or a neutral metallic - and also often people find blues go with plenty of things, depending on your wardrobe. Have you considered a wedge heel? There's lots of wedges for sale these days.

Definitely stay away from shoes that are really busy and fussy, or have more than one color. (Well, maybe these would work though!) There's colorblocking that's happening right now, that would work with your dress because a solid color will have nice contrast with the pattern.
posted by Mizu at 5:59 PM on June 25, 2012

Born shoes are good for in-between-medium-and-wide feet. They have a lot of cool heeled sandals, and you can often find last year's models at TJ Maxx and its ilk.
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:05 PM on June 25, 2012

Best answer: Low heeled gold sandals. That is what you want. Something like these? There are lots of cheaper options on Zappos, but those had the benefit of good customer comfort ratings AND a range of widths, so you could order a couple of versions and return the extras. With that color dress, a warm bronze would work nicely too.
posted by synapse at 6:32 PM on June 25, 2012 [4 favorites]

Came to say "gold sandals!" but synapse beat me to it. Gold is IMO dressier than yellow/brights for a wedding, and subtle gold shoes are surprisingly versatile for a variety of outfits. Agree that bronze might work well too, depending on your skin tone.
posted by miss_kitty_fantastico at 6:42 PM on June 25, 2012

If the wedding is outside on the grass, I definitely recommend a wedge heel. Those shoes are cute, but if they're sinking into the ground it will drive you crazy!
posted by ablazingsaddle at 6:58 PM on June 25, 2012

strappy wedges! i just bought these and i love them. just make sure you don't choose a chunky shoe bc your dress is short and airy.
posted by violetk at 7:32 PM on June 25, 2012 [1 favorite]

I think an embellished gold sandal (heeled or flat) would look great. You might actually find something you like at Target! Alternatively, a skin-matching nude heel is a great investment. Patent would be dressier, and would give you a lot of mileage in the future (a nude patent heel with a little black dress is very elegant, and of course it will always go with any other color dress you wish to wear. About the only thing it wouldn't work with is a black pantsuit.

If comfort is a concern, look up the Crocs For You "Twenty". I've been stalking them. They're a nude wedge heel that are pricey but I think would pretty much work forever.
posted by elizeh at 7:42 PM on June 25, 2012

Yeah, this dress is exactly why gold shoes were invented.
posted by mckenney at 8:00 PM on June 25, 2012

Response by poster: Gold sandals it is. I can see how they would complement the colors of the dress, and how a basic pair would work to not out-glare the dress. I'll look for a kitten heel or a wedge -- I don't know if the ceremony is outside, but it's at a manor in the suburbs so it very well may be.
posted by DoubleLune at 8:20 PM on June 25, 2012

Just saying, I never in a million years thought I would wear mustard yellow pumps more than once, but they were comfortable and on sale for 20 dollars....and now they're my favorite shoes.
posted by Liesl at 6:27 AM on June 26, 2012